Chicago, Illinois – Four teens are facing felony child-pornography charges after uploading a sex video to Twitter and may even have to register as sex offenders. Three boys and a girl, all between the ages of 14 and 16, are being held in juvenile custody until their court hearing. Many are wondering who will benefit from branding these teens as sex predators for life.
Police have confirmed that the sex between the teens was consensual, as well as the posting of the video. However, under Illinois state law, minors who post sexually-oriented images or videos of themselves online, even if sharing it privately, are subject to be charged as child pornographers.
Tweeting a live orgy is not a wise move for anyone, and teens aren’t particularly known for their wisdom—they’re still in a rather early developmental stage and are still very impulsive. They are “inclined to take risks, like experimenting with drugs or alcohol, driving without a license or having unsafe sex.”
These matters should be addressed by the parents, or even a school counselor or administrator, but not the criminal justice system. To be branded a sex predator is a crippling punishment for anyone, and although this fate is fitting for actual sex offenders, it clearly is not meant to be applied to a child who is still in the learning process and whose guidance is the responsibility of an adult guardian.
The video was reported to police by the girl’s mother.
The police “want the charges against these teens to serve as a cautionary tale to other youths engaged in high-risk behavior.”
“The child pornography offense that was charged is in place for a reason, because we don’t want to accept that type of behavior as a society,” stated Joliet Police Chief, Brian Benton. “It’s making a strong statement, and I think it’s important to do so, to send a message to others that kids shouldn’t be involved in this type of behavior, and hopefully this will serve as a deterrent.” He adds, “It’s an incident you may not recover from.”
In a report from Reason.com:
“The intent of laws against child pornography is to prevent the sexual abuse and exploitation of minors. No minors were being abused or exploited in this case. In fact, it’s the state who’s actively doing them harm, and for what purpose? Why, to ‘send a message’, of course.”
According to a 2013 survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 47 percent of U.S. high school students have had sexual intercourse. In another survey conducted by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, more than 1 in 10 children aged 12 to 13 have made, or been part of, a sexually explicit video.
It is absolutely crucial that we address the issue of pornography in the hands of our children, however to single out one particular group of teens—whose lives will most likely be ruined by this event—with the intention of “sending a message” is not a solution to the problem. True to the American way, this method is a scare tactic meant to teach acceptable behavior through intimidation.
While we don’t want videos such as the one these teens uploaded to get in the hands of internet pedophiles, the worst thing that’s likely to result from teens who share sex videos with one another is judgement, ostracization, and an awkward lesson learned the hard way. However, if convicted as child pornographers and branded sex offenders, these teens will be taken from their school and community and placed in a juvenile detention center, which according to Dallas youth offender attorney, Mark T. Lassiter, does not actually help teenagers follow the law in the future. Lassiter claims that “the youth justice system and juvenile detention facilities have been linked to the following problems”:
- Kids sentenced to juvenile prison are 37 times more likely to be arrested again as adults.
- Youth who go through the juvenile justice system are 7 times more likely to be arrested as adults.
- Juvenile probation raises chance of adult arrest by 14 times.
- Serious problems such as physical abuse sometimes occur in these centers.
After their release from the juvenile detention facility as registered sex offenders, these teens will have limited eligibility for college loans, limited employment opportunities, and restrictions on where they can live and travel. In this respect, yes, posting an online sex video as a teen can be an “incident you may not recover from,” but that’s only because of people like Police Chief Brian Benton.
CoNN: In this horrifying tale of government overreach, they ironically use child pornography laws to go after children… and detain them in places where they will likely face far worse abuse… Doesn’t that make the police the pedophiles?
Sources:
CBS Chicago. Mar 31, 2015. (http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2015/03/31/joliet-teens-charged-with-child-pornography/)
Nolan Brown, Elizabeth. Reason. Apr 1, 2015. (http://reason.com/blog/2015/04/01/teens-charged-for-sex-tape-in-chicago)
- Apr 1, 2015. (http://rt.com/usa/245757-chicago-teens-arrested-porn/)
Retards.. Has the “war on drugs” slowed down that industry? So let’s begin labeling people with worse titles, and state “The details of the crime don’t matter. Its a crime. Period!!” Because some teens gangbanged a slutty teen doesn’t make them child rapists, or sexual predators of any kind. The proper justice would be to air this, and narrate the video with values and morals which demean these people to the point of haunting. The “Justice System” isn’t how to call with this. But you know that, you just want to label some people and make some cash whereas you know its impossible to not break a ridiculous law these days, and they’re watching and waiting for anyone already on the hook and under the books regardless of the disposition of their soul. Fucking Tyrr@Nny, $@vv¥?
ok, was it wrong for underage kids to post such a video? very much so yes. but charging 4 kids as sex offenders to send a message? that’s not “sending a message, that’s ruining the lives and futures of 4 children who made a mistake.
The mother reported this to the police ? I would hate to have a mother like this.
I think she is hating herself right now, because of her care for her daughter, her daughter will also be labelled as a sex offender ..
They got what was coming to them. Child Porn is a sick thing no matter who does it. At this point, I think if these “opression and overreaching government” stories were a person, it would be a really sick,wimpy,annoying person with a serious problem with ANYONE telling what to do and how things should be done. Get your ass together Anonhq. I know that this website isn’t what all of Anonymous believes, but this is getting annoying. The person writing these obviously knows “freedom” but has no damm idea about…(wait for it)…JUUUSSSSSTICE!
LMAO sentencing a few law-blind teens for posting a sex tape of themselves sounds very much like justice.
Wait till this happens to your daughter and we’ll see what you say.
Wait till it happens to YOU.
Oh, wait… you can’t become a child once you unbecome it.
The natural reason adults feel so secure in NOT treating children as they would like to be treated [as children or otherwise].
Also, what “children” and “child porn”? 14-year olds – that’s young adults.
Are you frikkin serious? The Police who viewed this footage are the “sex offenders” not the kids who actually had consensual sex & in all likely-hood regretted the upload within 30 seconds of the post…
To have criminal record FOREVER, and as a SEX OFFENDER no less… is plain ridiculous!!!
U.S Justice System is BROKEN, this is the OPPOSITE OF JUSTICE PAL!!
Children, like almost all other countries in the world (even MANY 3rd world countries with harsh penalties for minor cromes) should not have a criminal record that is viewable to public once turning 18 – If in worst case they do get charged/convicted for this PATHETIC charge, it should be on a ‘Juvenile Record’ once turning 18 = this is actually normal in UK, AUS, Many European countries!
U GUYS R 2 USED 2 LIVING UNDER POLICE TERROR…
Anyone who says
“child porn is sick”
instead of
“porn is sick”
is a sick pervert and liar trying to “teach” (control) others.
>a really sick, wimpy, annoying person with a serious problem
What’s with this modern plague of people supporting criminalisation of child porn BUT NOT adult porn? The Age of Hypocrites: if Jesus Christ said “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone” today… stones would fly in no time.
This is why most humans need to live under Sharia. Orthodox Islam would correct you in no time. Islam doesn’t waste time on half-measures; everything is black or white, sin is sin, dirty or not dirty. There is no whitewashing of various shades of filth: it’s honest, unlike 95% of people in the West.
I’m an atheist but I hope that my speech will convert at least one person to Islam because that’s where your kind belongs.
Today, Western people sacrifice paedophiles and sexual children as scapegoats to pay for their own sins so that they can distract the world from these sins, sedate their consciences and “acquire” holiness (or rather its simulacrum) without actually being holy. The devil thrives on this warped desire of genetic sinners for holiness. Every century has its scapegoats. Human sacrifice has never really stopped, just humans evolved greater skills at deceiving themselves to avoid facing and confronting their own evil. That which you hate most is most probably IN YOU… so why search for it so far from yourself?
Q. What’s worse than a sinner?
A. A sinner castigating others (but not for HIS sins) in order to unlawfully claim privileges of holiness.
Most laws, but especially those dealing with “child porn” are insane if you know anything about the specifics of these laws…..
This is a terribly-written article; not worth anyone’s time. Anonymous deserves educated columnists.
A 14 year old girl is a CRIME – she is under the age of consent – it is RAPE
I had 2 boys – they KNEW a girl under the age of 16 was a CRIME
The MOTHER had every right to complain & have these boys prosecuted for RAPE & CHILD PORN
“Hitler had every right to kill Jews because a Jew was a CRIME.”
But WHY was it a crime?
“Because it’s a CRIME.”
You’re just using law as a cheap excuse for your hate of sex.
Why can’t you instead be honest with yourself about your predatory, oppressive nature?
You had no more brains at 18 than you did when you was 14, we seem to forget what we were like at that age.
Exactly. Unreflective people’s minds comprise of many unconnected pieces, and their inner dissonances don’t cause them any anxiety.
In particular, they are alienated from their own past and future selves as if they were strangers. They have no relationship with themselves!
That’s what enables them the perfidy of supporting in adulthood the very same principles that oppressed them in their youth.
People stupid as teens always think that they are “finally” wise when they are adults… what a perfect fallacy! That’s just one of many ways in which they differ from WISE teens and WISE adults.
In spite of this (or, from their point of view, BECAUSE of this) they see themselves as competent to decide for children about their lives, and to trample their dreams and hopes if they happen to transcend the narrow horizons of their “carers'” minds. (Which, unsurprisingly, is very easy.) And the society applauds it!!!
And so authoritarianism breeds authoritarianism… in an endless, vicious cycle that can be interrupted only by a mass extinction event.
The sooner, the better!
I had a cop tell me one time you can’t charge people for being stupid, but this is what this amounts to.