Quote:
Originally Posted by Coys1882
Can they sentence someone to prison for 45 years for something they may have done when they were 14? How does it work if you're an adult now?
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I can't answer about in the US, but I know that even in cases like this, in Canada, where a minor was engaged in sexually abuse acts, but is not charged or convicted until they are an adult, the charges most certainly can be brought as a minor. Doesn't mean they need to be, but I assume the facts of the case determine what court the offender is tried in, rather than their current age. This might be one of the rare situations where this might happen a lot more than with other offenses, since with no statute of limitations on charges like this, and the increase in potential allegations coming forth when a person has matured and is no longer in a situation that they cannot really control, ie with baby sitter, sibling, extended family etc in a position of trust and/or authority. Thus, if the victim is an adult now, the offender is extremely likely to be one by now as well.
A couple of cases I have heard about, where the sentence was actually quite a bit lower than it might have been, I assume due to complications about where do you put a 30 year old sex offender when they are convicted of something they did when they were 13? Obviously young detention isn't an option, but I could see there being issues with putting someone into 'adult jail' for something they were convicted for as a minor. I would love some insight on that if anyone has any.
The part that actually seems the worst though, is that as an adult, whenever they finish their sentence (probation, jail time, community service, etc), everything immediately goes away including no time spent on the sexual offenders registry.