The age of consent is defined here in Indiana and in many places as the age at which an individual can legally and competently consent to sexual activity. The listed age here is 16 years old, but there are variables involved. Indiana, for example, has a “Romeo and Juliet law” that also allows individuals ages 14 and 15 years old to willingly engage in sexual activity as long as the other partner is no more than four years older.
The age of consent and the law in Indiana
New study in favor of expungement
College students are generally not minors when they head of to IU or another school. This, of course, does not mean that they will always act like a grown human being who makes judicious decisions. This is particularly the case for those living away from home for the first time.
Federal government changes definition of domestic violence
The Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women quietly made important changes in 2018 to how it defines domestic violence. As the Education Secretary Betsy DeVos sought to refine sexual misconduct on college campuses to bolster the rights of the accused, these changes at the DOJ roll back Obama-era guidelines that decidedly favored the prosecution.
Teens and sexting
Opinions on the prevalence of sexting seem to be all over the map. However, one thing that everyone seems to agree on is that it is becoming increasingly frequent, particularly among teens. Defining sexting as “sharing sexually explicit images, videos or messages through electronic means,” a team of child development specialists examined the data from 122 studies and determined that 39 of them were credible. From there they drew some remarkable conclusions.
DeVos announces new sexual misconduct protocols for schools
We initially wrote back in September about Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s push to change how colleges and universities address sexual misconduct on college campuses. The new plan has now been released to go through a general comment period, which could bring more changes. The general thrust is that there would be additional protections to the accused students and clearer guidelines about what types of cases would be investigated by campus officials. According to reports, these changes would fix a system that failed students by allowing the assumption of guilt before due process.
Videotaping can lead to arrest
A janitor working at Bloomington High School North was arrested recently for secretly videotaping 13-year-old girls in the school’s locker room. According to news reports, the janitor placed his personal cell phone in a bag of laundry and left it in the girls’ locker room. The bag had a hole in it that enabled the device to videotape the girls while they were in the locker room changing out of their swimsuits.
AG Curtiss Hill's a victory for due process
The #MeToo movement has toppled Hollywood celebrities and captains of industry. It also impacted political figures, including our own Attorney General Curtis Hill. Whereas many have been removed or stepped down, Hill survived an inquiry by special prosecution.
Education department to institute due process in campus sex charges
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is overseeing a new plan to revamp a Title IX regulation. While the New York Times acquired draft of this new legislation, the details are still being worked out. Early analysis indicates that main thrust of the new plan would be to reduce the number of investigations done each year, to strengthen the rights of those accused of sexual misconduct and providing more emphasis on due process of the accused.
Man on plane convicted of sexual assault
A jury in Detroit took four hours to convict a man charged with sexual assault of a fellow passenger on a plane. The man was found guilty of digitally penetrating a 22-year-old woman sitting in the window seat next to him during a flight from Las Vegas to Detroit in January. He was traveling alongside his wife at the time of the attack. The victim was jolted awake to find her shirt unbuttoned, brae undone and the man’s hand inside her unzipped pants.
Study says sexting tied to drinking
Many have at least anecdotal evidence that sexting usually involves drinking, but now there is a new study on drinking and sexting among college students. research, sexual expectations regarding drinking are driving more frequent sexting among students. The key point here is “expectations,” which could lead to problems. The expectations of consensual sexual encounters could lead to disagreements on intent or what those expectations involve.
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