Never let it be said that I don't believe sex crimes should be punished because they should. I also think it is a good idea that those who are convicted of sex crimes should have to register as sex offenders.
But I'm not so clear on what to do about sex offenders who are still considered children. In other words, should those minors who commit sex crimes against other minors be branded as sex offenders for the rest of their lives?
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Obviously, this is a very charged subject and I do not pretend to be any type of legal expert, but there are no national guidelines as to how to classify sex crimes, which means that sometimes the punishment does not fit the crime.
Okay, let's say a teenager is accused and convicted of brutally raping another teenager or a child. Do I think that teenager should be punished and made to register as a sex offender? My gut says yes. Even though that person is not technically an adult, if they are mentally capable of understanding what they did, I'm going to go with a yes. It's awful that they will be branded for life, but what they did is inexcusable.
Now, let's say a minor is charged with urinating in public while there are children around, or they have consensual sexual relations with another minor, or they are nude in public, or they are sexting nude pictures of themselves to another minor, or you get the picture, these are all considered sex crimes. Do I think they should be punished for their actions? Yes, they should. Do I think they should be forced to be registered as sex offenders? No.
The consequences of having a minor register as a sex offender can have huge impacts in terms of being able to finish school or be around other children. This seems like a conversation worth having to me. I believe in justice being served, but branding minors for life as sex offenders isn't always just.
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