The Role Of Statutory Rape In Old English Law

Statutory rape has been around for a long time, but has had very little change. In old English law it was a strict liability offence, meaning even if someone did not know the age of the teenager, the teenager started, or even gave consent, they were held accountable (Obermen 25). Then more recently it became more of a law to protect morality than to punish offenders. Now the law is so vague, it does not do what it is needed to do, protect the innocent and punish the offenders. Therefore, statutory rape laws need to be more specific because, as they are now there are numerous holes for people truly looking to take advantage of underage persons to slip through the legal system with no penalty, and for couples who are in consenting relationships to find themselves in trouble that lives with them their whole lives. …show more content…
Being in high school and having a relationship kind of go hand in hand, for most teenagers, it is part of finding themselves and what they like. However, this can cause problems with freshmen senior relationships. Freshmen are typically 14 with seniors that are usually 18. In the eyes of the law, that is a child and an adult. Moreover, in a school setting, it is a normal high school relationship, something that teenagers use to grow into who they will be, and to learn what they want and do not want in a relationship. This disregard for the relationship between students is one of the biggest criticisms of statutory rape laws (England). It shows that there is a missing link between the law and what is a reality in high schools in the present