Texas Judge Said 14-Year-Old in Rape Case ‘Wasn’t the Victim She Claimed to Be’

[Gingersnap]

Texas Judge Said 14-Year-Old in Rape Case ‘Wasn’t the Victim She Claimed to Be’

By Joe CoscarelliFollow @joecoscarelli

State District Judge Jeanine Howard of Dallas has removed herself from a controversial rape case after questioning the victim's innocence and sentencing the admitted rapist to community service at a rape crisis center. Yes, really. Howard voluntary recused herself following an interview with the Dallas Morning News last week, in which she said the girl, 14 at the time, "wasn't the victim she claimed to be," and the attacker, then 18, "is not your typical sex offender."

The judge, a Democrat running unopposed for reelection in the fall, cited medical records that showed the girl's past sexual activity and that she'd had a child. There were also texts between the victim and Sir Young, now 20, consenting to sex but not at school; both testified that she said "no" and "stop" before and during the attack in a music practice room on campus.

Howard used her broad powers and reputation for "creative sentencing approaches" to give Young 45 days in jail, five years of probation (including spending every anniversary of the rape in jail for those five years), and 250 hours of community service at the Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center. Unsurprisingly, the center said no thanks and that part of the punishment is being reconsidered. Young faced up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to the rape his lawyer admits happened but cast dismissively as just "two kids messing around at school."

"There are rape cases that deserve life. There are rape cases that deserve 20 years. Every now and then you have one of those that deserve probation. This is one of those and I stand by it," said Howard in the interview that made the case national news. She also insisted, "I will always do the right thing."

The victim, on the other hand, concluded, "It would have been better for me not to say anything."

Who sentences a rapist to a rape crisis center?

NYmag

[phillygirl]

I'm going to withhold my outrage on this one. I'm not certain we're getting the whole story in this new item.

As for the community service...I've frequently wondered why judges sentence animal abusers to volunteer at pounds, etc. Dumb idea, although I liked that she sentenced him to serve jail time each year on the anniversary of the rape.

[Lanie]

The judge is a SHE.

Okay, so this girl might have been around the block. No always means no.
It's not worse when you rape little red riding hood. Rape is always a disgusting act
that deserves jail time.

Judges like that do what they do because they are running unopposed. She reminds me of a Republican judge in my county. She also does disgusting and evil stuff and never gets held responsible for it.

[Gingersnap]

She said, "No". It doesn't matter if she agreed to bang him at 3:12 p.m. every day after school. Now, should he go up for 20 years if they had a consensual sexual relationship? No, but no 14 year old girl who has had extensive sexual sexual experience is a knowing sex partner. She's a sexual puppet.

[phillygirl]

The judge is a SHE.

Okay, so this girl might have been around the block. No always means no.
It's not worse when you rape little red riding hood. Rape is always a disgusting act
that deserves jail time.

Judges like that do what they do because they are running unopposed. She reminds me of a Republican judge in my county. She also does disgusting and evil stuff and never gets held responsible for it.

He was sentenced to jail time. How much should he have gotten?

[Lanie]

He was sentenced to jail time. How much should he have gotten?

Forty-five days in jail and an anniversary is not a real sentence. Maybe the five years of probation should have been jail time. Rapists need to be off the streets.

In any case, the judge should have kept her disgusting opinion about the girl "not being the average victim" to herself. What this is saying is that if a girl is a slut so to speak, then it's really not that big of a deal if you rape her.

[Adam]

I was actually just reading about this in the Dallas Morning News.

It's a bit spotty and hard to follow, but it sounds to me like there's a whole lot more here than just an 18-year-old consorting with a 14-year-old. The defense claims that this girl has born at least one baby, which her mother denies. It would appear, based upon what the defense claims, at least, that this girl has been quite promiscuous. While that does not in and of itself negate rape in any way, it casts a whole lot of doubt upon her story.

I don't know if the sentencing is correct in this case, but it would certainly seem unlikely that a female judge would just dismiss out-of-hand serious charges against a charged male defendant without some pretty good cause.

[Gramps]

And away we go.....

slut

no means no

that fucking judge

serious doubt?

This thread might be fun to watch.

[Gingersnap]

I was actually just reading about this in the Dallas Morning News.

It's a bit spotty and hard to follow, but it sounds to me like there's a whole lot more here than just an 18-year-old consorting with a 14-year-old. The defense claims that this girl has born at least one baby, which her mother denies. It would appear, based upon what the defense claims, at least, that this girl has been quite promiscuous. While that does not in and of itself negate rape in any way, it casts a whole lot of doubt upon her story.

I don't know if the sentencing is correct in this case, but it would certainly seem unlikely that a female judge would just dismiss out-of-hand serious charges against a charged male defendant without some pretty good cause.

Don't count on it. Women are by no means all part of the sisterhood. Especially if a 'sister' is doing it wrong - whatever it might be.

No 14 year old girl is capable of real consent outside of some ultra traditional tribal marriage setting. If she needs parental consent to work a part-time job, she's not capable of making reasoned sexual arrangements. She might have liked it fine as an after school hobby but that doesn't make her less raped when she says, "No".

[Adam]

Don't count on it. Women are by no means all part of the sisterhood. Especially if a 'sister' is doing it wrong - whatever it might be.

No 14 year old girl is capable of real consent outside of some ultra traditional tribal marriage setting. If she needs parental consent to work a part-time job, she's not capable of making reasoned sexual arrangements. She might have liked it fine as an after school hobby but that doesn't make her less raped when she says, "No".

She may not be capable of informed consent, but if you think that no fourteen-year-old ever consented to sex, then I'm afraid you're just sorely mistaken. They may not have been legally able to consent, but the law and real life are two different things.

There are cases of "jail bait" out there. Are they frequent or common? Nope. But they certainly exist. And some of them are quite vindictive indeed.

[Gingersnap]

She may not be capable of informed consent, but if you think that no fourteen-year-old ever consented to sex, then I'm afraid you're just sorely mistaken. They may not have been legally able to consent, but the law and real life are two different things.

There are cases of "jail bait" out there. Are they frequent or common? Nope. But they certainly exist. And some of them are quite vindictive indeed.

Oh, there are plenty of young girls who suddenly discover that they have the sexual equivalent of male Kryptonite in their in bras and pants. That doesn't mean that they have a realistic concept of sexual consent. They are playing with their toys and having fun making others play with their toys.

How they view their actions at 14 is not going to be how they view it at 24 or 34.

[Lanie]

Don't count on it. Women are by no means all part of the sisterhood. Especially if a 'sister' is doing it wrong - whatever it might be.

No 14 year old girl is capable of real consent outside of some ultra traditional tribal marriage setting. If she needs parental consent to work a part-time job, she's not capable of making reasoned sexual arrangements. She might have liked it fine as an after school hobby but that doesn't make her less raped when she says, "No".

I agree that all women aren't into sisterhood. That's what makes this worse to me.

I do think there should be punishment for statatory rape (when the girl consents with a guy that's older than her), but that's not what this was. This wasn't her being promiscuous. This was rape. She said no. If a woman or a girl says no and the guy goes through, it's rape. Rape is rape is rape is rape is rape. The guy confessed to the rape, so there's really nothing to prove.