Here's an absolutely incredible
story out of Indiana:
Last week, two middle school students in Valparaiso, Ind., were caught sending nude pictures of themselves to each other on their cell phones. The students were caught when the 13-year-old girl's cell phone rang in class, and her teacher confiscated it, according to a police report. The girl cried that she would get in trouble because a 12-year-old boy sent her a "dirty picture." The boy sent the girl a picture of his genitals and requested that she do the same, the report said. The girl then texted him a picture of her naked, police said.
Okay, that's not the incredible part. That seems to be happening more and more. Here's the problem:
The students have been charged with child exploitation and possession of child pornography, both felonies. They were referred to the county's juvenile probation department, which will determine whether authorities pursue or drop the charges, Gensel said. If convicted, the students could be required to register as sex offenders, he said.
Let's hope that the juvenile probation department is sane enough to drop the charges. If they go forward with them, they will literally be ruining the lives of those two young people forever. They will likely be placed on the sex offender list for 25 years, which means they won't be able to get a job. There will be harsh limitations on where they can live and where they can go. Should they grow up and get married and have children, they will likely be forbidden from going to the school to pick them up.
Punishing Sexting = Destroying Lives : Dispatches from the Culture Wars
