# High school senior pulls yearbook photo prank. Are the charges excessive? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 4, 2016, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-senior-pulls-yearbook-photo-prank-are-the-charges-excessive/753946 "2016-05-04T21:57:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-senior-pulls-yearbook-photo-prank-are-the-charges-excessive/753946/141 "2016-05-12T16:36:18Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > So as I understand it your point is that although he hasn’t done anything significant wrong he should have repercussions because otherwise rapists will think there are no repercussions for committing rape. > > Gotcha. I was mostly reacting to **aceplace57** ’s “Very glad sanity prevailed. Now the kid can focus on college and his future.” Unless they made up the charges out of nowhere, there was a possibility that this act was punishable by law. Instead, for whatever reason (helicopter parents, he’s a popular athlete,…) he gets off. He may or may not be the kind of person who perpetrates worst shit later, but he has been sent the message that what could have been leveraged against him was dropped. Again, it’s great if it’s a one-time thing and that he really will “focus on college and his future”. But getting away with one thing may encourage someone to see what else he can get away with, and college is certainly the place to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2016, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-senior-pulls-yearbook-photo-prank-are-the-charges-excessive/753946/142 "2016-05-14T19:00:31Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > I was mostly reacting to **aceplace57** ’s “Very glad sanity prevailed. Now the kid can focus on college and his future.” > > Unless they made up the charges out of nowhere, there was a possibility that this act was punishable by law. Instead, for whatever reason (helicopter parents, he’s a popular athlete,…) he gets off. > > He may or may not be the kind of person who perpetrates worst shit later, but he has been sent the message that what could have been leveraged against him was dropped. > > Again, it’s great if it’s a one-time thing and that he really will “focus on college and his future”. But getting away with one thing may encourage someone to see what else he can get away with, and college is certainly the place to do it. So basically, punish him worse than he deserves, to set an example? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2016, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-senior-pulls-yearbook-photo-prank-are-the-charges-excessive/753946/143 "2016-05-14T23:45:12Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > So basically, punish him worse than he deserves, to set an example? :dubious: Nope. Punish him at all. He’s now learned that he could have been punished, but it’s been dropped. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-senior-pulls-yearbook-photo-prank-are-the-charges-excessive/753946/144 "2016-05-15T00:30:37Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Nope. Punish him at all. He’s now learned that he could have been punished, but it’s been dropped. By the law. Not by the school, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c4cdca/32.png) [@race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/race_to_the_bottom)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-senior-pulls-yearbook-photo-prank-are-the-charges-excessive/753946/145 "2016-05-22T02:44:19Z")
The fact that the cops and the DA are involved is evidence that this country has gone seriously off the rails around this sex offense business. Remember Streaking? If laws like the one under which the DA was investigating this incident had been on the books then, a whole lot of people would now be registered sex offenders. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-school-senior-pulls-yearbook-photo-prank-are-the-charges-excessive/753946.md?page=7)