Romeo And Juliet Law Protects Teens From ‘Sex Offender’ Label
If you’re a parent, one of the last things you want to think about is your teenage son or daughter having sex. However, district judge Yahara Gutierrez says she often sees cases come through her courtroom involving teenage sexual relationships. “It seems to be children are having sex a lot younger,” she said.
Sometimes when that young love turns into lust and mom and dad find out, “they’re very upset that their little princess ius having sex and so they file charges,” said Gutierrez.
Those charges can have life-changing consequences, even if the sex was consensual. “They could be registered as a sex offender for ten years,” said Gutierrez.
Under the old Texas law, teens could land a spot on the sex offender registry if their partners were more than three years younger. Under the new so-called Romeo and Juliet bill that went into effect Thursday, however, the legal age difference has expanded from three years to four years. That means a 19-year-old will not necessarily be in trouble with the law if he or she sleeps with a consenting 15-year-old.
“It gives the judge a lot more discretion to look at the individual, look at the case, look at the circumstances and make a more educated decision,” said Gutierrez.
Teens we spoke with thought it was a good idea, too. Some moms disagreed, though.
“Put yourself in the parent’s place,” said one mom as she was picking up her child from school.
“It’s very bad. They’re still developing at that age,” said another mom.
Judge Gutierrez said the new law helps to separate the real sexual predators from the consenting teens who just decided to sleep together too soon. She added the courts still make sure to hear from an accused teen’s sexual partner before making a conviction.
Teens who were convicted before the Romeo and Juliet law went into effect can petition the court to revisit their case and can potentially be wiped off the sex offender registry, provided their ages at the time of the relationship match up with the new guidelines.
