The Age of Consent: Sex and the American Legal System

The Age of Consent: Sex and the American Legal System

I think that the legal system should be able to dictate what age someone is able to give consent. I agree with the legal age of 16 if we, as a country, believe that 16-year-olds are mature enough to operate a car, then they should be legally able to control their own bodies. I also think that people under the age of 16, though they are more mature now than previous in years, do not have the capacity to understand how important and dangerous sex can be.

Offenders of statutory rape should be placed on the SORB (sex offender registry board), but the SORB should have a detailed description of what actually happened, and why someone is legally considered a sex offender. People who are on the sex offender registry, are just categorized under “sex offender, class _.” But some people who are on the offender registry are on there because they didn't know the laws surrounding statutory rape, and made a mistake when they were a kid. I think people should also be taken off the SORB if what they did wasn't too bad, and they have proven in past gears to not be an offender anymore.

I believe that the statutory rape laws are equal and fair, and I think that it should stay the same. I just think that the SORB should be more specific about the actual crime that was committed, so that way the people who made simple mistakes when they were younger don't get ostracized by their communities.