Teens having sex tried for statutory rape

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HUNTVILLE, Texas, May 25 (UPI) -- Some underage teens engaging in sex before the legal age of consent are facing sexual assault charges under statutory rape laws, U.S. researchers say.

Glen Kercher, director of the Crime Victims' Institute at Sam Houston State University, examined various state laws that have been adopted to protect minors from sexual abuse by adults or peers.

Underage teens having consensual, close-in-age relationships are being processed through the courts and as a result they may be labeled as sex offenders, Kercher says.

"It is becoming increasingly clear that some teenagers engage in sexual activity even before they reach the legally defined age of consent," Kercher says in a statement. "Given the changing mores in this country and the increasing acceptance by teenagers of early sexual intimacies, more and more young people are finding themselves facing sexual assault charges, whether or not either partner feels victimized."

The report, Adolescent Sexual Behavior and the Law, provides an overview of state laws involving statutory rape and offenders who are close in age to their victims.

Decriminalizing these cases could result in saving time and expense in criminal court, Kercher suggests.