State by State LEGAL AGE statutes

[thadjock]

this is sort of a "your government at work" question:

not too long ago i came across a site or maybe it was just a page on somebody's blog (it wasn't an official gov't site or anything) maybe it was even on lpsg, but it compiled all the states legal age of consent statutes . and had alot of idiosynchrosies for the different states, and they varied widely.

i.e. like if the minor was under 16, the maximum allowable difference in age between them and the older person would be like 2 yrs or 4 yrs etc. before it would it be statutory offense. regardless of it being a consensual relationship or not. and some of the states had ages as low as like 12 or 13yrs for the minor as long as both were within a yr of the same age. pretty wacky.

i don't need to find it because i'm into underage , i just thought it was interesting to note the differences between different state's statutes and the moral climate in those states. it's alot more complicated than "16 will get you 20" that you always hear. and it seemed to me that the lower age states were also the high teen pregnancy rate states (southern/low income/low education).

has anybody seen the same site/page? (ya, i should have bookmarkd it)

PS: this all started becuz a friend and I were arguing about why levi johnston wasnt' in jail instead of attending the repulican convention in MN this summer.

 

[D_Hyacinth Harrytwat]

I'd be curious to see this too - it's definitely information worth passing around. I would hate to hear about someone being sexually assaulted and then when they contact the authorities, find out that there's a loophole preventing them from prosecuting the offender.

I'm pretty sure it's 18 across Canada but I've never seen it in writing - just word of mouth. I've never heard of any "within 2 years" rules. But then I wonder about a couple who are on the cusp of 18: what if one person is 18 and the other is 17?

 

[BiItalianBro]

this is what google puked up for me on the topic: it goes by country and then US state by state as you scroll down.

A table of worldwide ages of consent, including US states

 

[thadjock]

I'd be curious to see this too - it's definitely information worth passing around. I would hate to hear about someone being sexually assaulted and then when they contact the authorities, find out that there's a loophole preventing them from prosecuting the offender.

I'm pretty sure it's 18 across Canada but I've never seen it in writing - just word of mouth. I've never heard of any "within 2 years" rules. But then I wonder about a couple who are on the cusp of 18: what if one person is 18 and the other is 17?

ya the site i remember looked like someone had taken and pasted the various statutes out of legal texts, it had the same punctuation style.

and it's very complicated here in the US, i don't know anything about CA.

if i remember i think alot of them were worded with contingencies to accomodate relationships that bridged the legal age but protected the minor against assault loopholes . and even parental consent was factored in.

 

[thadjock]

this is what google puked up for me on the topic: it goes by country and then US state by state as you scroll down.

A table of worldwide ages of consent, including US states

thanks, i guess that's what i get for typing in too many search keywords.

 

[bstexas]

yeah, would be interesting to hear. not in to yungins lol, but just interesting info. haven't seen it here but doesn't mean it wasn't around on the site. hopefully you'll get more answers.

 

[B_ClydeS]

This is "legalese." Most of the information is still current albeit almost 6 years old.

Statutory Rape Laws by State

 

[D_Hyacinth Harrytwat]

ya the site i remember looked like someone had taken and pasted the various statutes out of legal texts, it had the same punctuation style.

and it's very complicated here in the US, i don't know anything about CA.

if i remember i think alot of them were worded with contingencies to accomodate relationships that bridged the legal age but protected the minor against assault loopholes . and even parental consent was factored in.

That is really complicated in the US! I like that a lot of factors are taken in, but in some states, apparently a teen can be raped and if the offender says "we're in a relationship" or claims that their victim agreed, then no justice gets served.

With the laws in Canada, when I was raped at 15 by a 23 year old, that was definitely illegal but even then, I'd have a hard time being able to prove that he did it with no witenesses and no evidence.

I couldn't imagine a youngster in the states without evidence trying to prove that they didn't consent on top of it all!

I also find it funny that anal sex is a big no-no in Canada unless you're 18 or married.

 

[thadjock]

With the laws in Canada, when I was raped at 15 by a 23 year old, that was definitely illegal but even then, I'd have a hard time being able to prove that he did it with no witenesses and no evidence.

why wasnt' there any evidence, did you wait some time before you reported it?

 

[D_Hyacinth Harrytwat]

why wasnt' there any evidence, did you wait some time before you reported it?

Lots of time. I was out camping and by the time I got home, I figured there was no use reporting it. I talked to many other girls who had tried to report their rapists but ended up in a "he said/she said" case dismissal so I'm glad I didn't waste money/time trying to get him caught!

 

[upone]

In the United States if you have a partner anywhere close to the age limit, check with the law. For example, Washington State is afflicted with what is possibly the worst example of legislation by compromise I can think of: The age of consent is 16 years of age, unless the older party is more than 59 months older. Why 59 months? 'Cuz the state senator sponsoring the legislation sat down with the state senator filibustering to keep the age at 18. They consumed a bottle of bourbon as they negotiated.

 

[Guy-jin]

With the laws in Canada, when I was raped at 15 by a 23 year old, that was definitely illegal but even then, I'd have a hard time being able to prove that he did it with no witenesses and no evidence.

Well, hopefully that guy ended up getting run over by a bus at some point. At least, that's what I'd guess happened to him!

 

[thadjock]

Lots of time. I was out camping and by the time I got home, I figured there was no use reporting it. I talked to many other girls who had tried to report their rapists but ended up in a "he said/she said" case dismissal so I'm glad I didn't waste money/time trying to get him caught!

sorry about your situation, and hopefully karma handed out some justice.

 

[thadjock]

i know alot of women get assaulted by jerks and alot of jerks get away with it, and criminals should definitely pay,

but in high school i knew a guy (not a super close friend so i can't be a witness to his character 100% but he definitiely wasn't an asshole) who had sex with his gf and the next day she had no problem letting her gf's and other guys know that they had had sex cuz he was popular and she liked being linked to him. but then it got back to her parents that this guy had sex with their daughter and she totally changed her story and tried to say he date raped her, and the dad went ballistic, they went to the cops and tried to get him arrested, and she was even still trying to get with him after the cops questioned him.

in ca all you need is a girl to say she was raped to get a whole investigation started. they took statements from alot of other students and eventually dropped it because she had told so many of her friends how good it was right after. but the dad had money and still tried to ruin my friends life by talking to colleges and his work even years later. so be careful guys, one night can follow you around for a lifetime

 

[butler12]

In Ontario the legal age is 16 and that just got moved up from 14. Also about the anal sex thing only happening once your 18 or married maybe that's just where you live because where i live it's pretty popular, or was when i was in high school which was only 4 years ago.

 

[thadjock]

it's kinda bizarre that you can legally fuk b4 u can legally drink (cuz a 6-pack can definitely make gettin some tail alot easier for teenagers)

and in some states you can join the military and get your ass shot off b4 u can get it fukd.

sometimes laws just don't make no damn sense at all

 

[kcace99]

I used to live in New Mexico quite a few years back, and the age of consent then was 14, not sure about now but I'm sure that's been changed.

 

[D_Hyacinth Harrytwat]

To Guy-jin & thadjock: No worries, even if he didn't get hit by a bus I'm sure karma caught up to him. At least I learned a lot from the experience!

Also about the anal sex thing only happening once your 18 or married maybe that's just where you live because where i live it's pretty popular, or was when i was in high school which was only 4 years ago.

I only got the 18 for anal thing from one of the websites posted earlier - I'm also from Ontario and never heard of such a law!

 

[Marto.Melb]

In Australia the legal age is 16, but there can be a 2 year gap if its consentual

Buying smokes and alcohol is 18 but having sex is 16, wierd

 

[deleted356736]

Marto.Melb,
The only juridstictions where the two year gap applies are the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. The age of consent in these States starts at 10 if the partner is within 2 years of age, otherwise it is 16. Other States have different ages, 16 for most and 17 for SA and the NT.

The median age of first sex in Australia is around 16, which means that half have sex before that age and half after. To me the age of consent is a meaningless concept if half ignore it. Only the ACT and Victoria have it right.

The median age of first sex in the US is also around 16, regardless of their being many States where the age of consent is as high as 18.