Guilty of sex with student, teacher avoids prison

[Psalm25Gomer]

I'm just all news this week, aren't I?

The 14 year old consented to having sex with this teacher. A huge case is made out of it. It drags on and on and on. The kid is "tired" and wants to go back to having a "normal life". Teacher gets off basically...scott free (house arrest has some freedom to it).

Your thoughts/opinions?

Guilty of sex with student, teacher avoids prison
Attorney abandons insanity defense in plea deal for 'tired' client

(CNN) -- In a last-minute effort to keep herself out of prison, a 25-year-old middle school teacher pleaded guilty Tuesday to having sex with a 14-year-old.

Debra Lafave, a former remedial reading teacher at Greco Middle School in Temple Terrace, Florida, pleaded guilty to two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior, and was sentenced to three years of house arrest followed by seven years probation. She also must register as a sex offender.

She could have faced up to 15 years for each count filed in Hillsborough County. She also could have been charged in Marion County, because one of the incidents happened there.

"I want to apologize to the court, to the young man involved and to his family for my actions," Lafave said. "I accept full responsibility for my actions, and I am very sorry for everything which has occurred."

...

Defense attorney John Fitzgibbons said he began negotiating the plea deal Monday after he deposed the boy's cousin.

"We believe that this was a very fair resolution of this case," Fitzgibbons said, adding that Lafave avoided prison time with the plea and will be allowed to continue her mental health treatment.

"Very importantly, it allows the young man involved here to go on with his life, just as Debbie can go on with her life," he said. "He does not have to participate in a trial or deposition."

Fitzgibbons had originally planned an insanity defense, saying earlier this year that Lafave had "some profound emotional issues" and that "once anyone reads what the doctors have to say, they will understand a lot more."

Asked how she felt after the plea deal was announced, Lafave said only, "Tired."

It was a change of heart by the boy's parents that made the plea deal possible. At first, they had insisted that Lafave serve at least three years in prison, but they recently relented, allowing prosecutors to strike the deal before the trial began.

"Because of the media coverage of these cases, I fear that proceeding to trial will negatively affect my son's emotional and psychological well-being," the boy's mother said in an affidavit filed in Hillsborough County on Tuesday.

She added that her son did not want to testify and merely "wants to resume his life in as normal a manner as possible."

[Tony Trout]

My opinion??? The teacher should be put in prison and the keys thrown so far that she can't find them. As for the kid having a "normal" life? Me doesn't think that's gonna be possible.........they both should have thought about their actions before they committed the crime.

[middletree]

The following thoughts are priced at exactly 2 cents apiece. I'll pass the plate after the sermon:

1. In many countries, it's quite normal for a 25 year old man to have a 15 year old wife. Even in this country a couple hundred years ago. Of course, these two weren't married, so that's a big difference. But as far as the supposed harm this boy is suffering, I'm not so sure.

2. This kind of thing probably happens several times a year, but you don't usually see this kid of press coverage. Why is that? Let me make this really blunt: The press is making a big deal out of this because the perpetrator is an attractive blond woman.

[oohmercyme]

I would disagree that the only reason this is newsworthy is that it is an attractive blond woman (don't know why blondness would make this exceptional).

I would say that this happens much more than several times a year- it, sadly, happens all the time, by people we entrust with our children!

First, the teacher is in a position of power over a student and took advantage of that position. Second, she was a remedial teacher, therefore we don't know if there is a level of disability with the student.

As for the point that in many other countries girls of a young age marry older men often; First, we are talking North America, and that is not part of the culture here, we do not raise our children in preparation for marriage at 14. (Certainly many people would say that a 14 year old maybe physically ready for sex but certainly not emotionally ready). Second, while it may be part of the culture of certain countries for young girls to marry old men, it does not mean the girls are always happy to do so; often these are arranged marriages in which the girl has NO choice in who she marries (that being said, sometimes arranged marriages can be very positive).

I am curious if you would have the same response to a male teacher having sex with a 14 year old girl. Your answer smacks of "boys will be boys" and have sex. The old boys having sex are studs and girls are slags. Or the age old "boys learning the ways of the world from an older woman". Just because the boy didn't object or call it abuse, doesn't mean it wasn't abuse.

How young is too young? Is 14 the limit? Well then why not 13 or 12, and if that's acceptable, why not 10?

The teacher abused her power and should be consequenced accordingly.

[middletree]

I have seen some of my comments misunderstood before, but not to this extent. Please go back and re-read my post.

I never said that boy will be boys, or to ignore it, nor did I say we should blow it off. I said that I question whether or not the boy was deeply wounded psychologically. If so, then that would be the case in every culture throughout history where a teenager marries or has relations with someone in their mid-twenties, including, I might add, Mary, mother of Jesus.

I don't think that this kind of thing, while very wrong, is necessarily going to scar this boy for life. In fact, the newspaper story says that he is very well-adjusted and the only problem he has is all the attention it's forcing on him.

I think this case was wrong, not because of the ages, but because they weren't married, and because she was in a position of authority. I don't think that either of those criteria will cause psychological damage.

As for the fact of why this one case received a lot of pub, I stand by that, and I think that you made my case for me. It happens a lot, but only one or two are making the news, and none to this extent. Why is this one getting all the attention? Because of the way the teacher looks. Please note I'm not saying that it's right; I'm saying that that's the way the media thinks.

[Gandalf]

Her lawyer actually argued that she shouldn't go to jail because she is too pretty... apparently he succeeded with that approach :rolleyes:

I think her ex-husband has a point when he says that if it had been a man convicted in the same situation, there's no doubt he'd be in jail for years. I don't see a good reason for the double standard that seems to be letting her off easy compared to other molestors.

She needs Jesus badly, whether she received just punishment for her crime or not.

[kiwisongbird]

The main issue for me in this case would be that she abused her position of trust as a teacher...

I agree with Middletree that it's kind of likely that this boy probably won't be hugely mentally scared by this issue - I would imagine the hassle of it carrying on so long might be more likely to cause him difficulty....

It's a bit confusing forpeople I think - if two 14 year olds have sex - then who is the criminal??? and it's happening heaps!!!! but if one is 16 ad one 14 then whammo....... one is a criminal and one abused!! That's pretty tough really...

Oh, wouldn't it be great if we just all lived our lives by God's rules???? :) :)

[middletree]

I don't see a good reason for the double standard

I don't either, but it's there. I don't know how old you are, but when I was a teen, there was a hugely popular song and video by Van Halen called Hot For Teacher. I find it ironic that some people I have talked to about this are aghast that she wasn't imprisoned, but these are the same guys who, 25 years ago, loved that song. The double standard isn't right, but it's there because we as a culture have decided to put it there.

[Gandalf]

To be fair, the double standard of the student being excused while the teacher is blamed that is exemplified by that song is different from the gender based double standard to which I was referring. There are many people who understand how the kid would go for having a relationship with an attractive teacher, but also think the teacher was wrong to take advantage of the kid. This is not a gender based, but an age and maturity based double standard. The double standard I was referring to was that this teacher is receiving a minimal punishment compared to what a male teacher would receive in similar circumstances. I think these people would understand the student's point of view in either case, and condemn the teacher in either case. But, I think the courts are being unnecessarily lenient towards this teacher in the penalty awarded.

[Col. Mustard]

But, I think the courts are being unnecessarily lenient towards this teacher in the penalty awarded.
dido

[larryl]

ok....read the story from more media outlets......

the family wanted a deal cut, so they wouldn't have to go through a lengthy trial, nationwide attention (which they have so far avoided....anyone know what the boy looks like? i thought not) ......i don't know that i blame them, to be honest....like her being in prison would help the kid in any way....but a trial would be amazingly hard on the entire family...........

[DareDevil]

Over here the punishment for having sex with a minor depends a lot on the psychological/health impact that the intercourse had on the minor. If there was no real negative impact then the punishment is less harsh here too. Maybe the jury in this paticular case was guided by similar thoughts?


Edited: I am not condoning what this woman did. It was WRONG and I think she got off the hook way too easily.

[larryl]

Over here the punishment for having sex with a minor depends a lot on the psychological/health impact that the intercourse had on the minor. If there was no real negative impact then the punishment is less harsh here too. Maybe the jury in this paticular case was guided by similar thoughts?


Edited: I am not condoning what this woman did. It was WRONG and I think she got off the hook way too easily.


the jury had nothing to do with it.....a deal was cut before it ever got that far...

[middletree]

the jury had nothing to do with it.....a deal was cut before it ever got that far...
But the jury still has something to do with it. Prosecutors cut deals not because they want to soften things for the victim, but because they anticipate what the jury would do. And I stand by my earlier posts: the DA thought that the jury might let this teacher get a slap on the wrist.

[larryl]

But the jury still has something to do with it. Prosecutors cut deals not because they want to soften things for the victim, but because they anticipate what the jury would do. And I stand by my earlier posts: the DA thought that the jury might let this teacher get a slap on the wrist.


with you i might agree, with lonewolf, who i quoted, i disagree :D

[Pouye]

I have witnessed girls being married at 14 in Papua New Guinea. Not all girls who are married at 14 are forced into it, either... sometimes they are married because they are caught having sex with their boyfriends or they suddenly start looking pregnant and can't hide their deeds any longer.

To be honest, I don't think the teacher was let off easy. She has to register as a sex offender, remember... that's a bummer, because that is a life sentence.

I think the boy knew what he was doing, since he consented. I don't know too many 14 year old boys who would not have consented to such an offer. If he would have been a prepubescent child, I would say the woman deserved to be dealt with pretty harshly. There are millions of 14 year old boys (and girls) who are sexually active in every country of the world.

I'm really torn on this topic. Usually the table is turned. Usually it is a guy who is 25 and a girl who is 14. Often she is doing everything she can to seduce the guy, convinced that she is in love with him (even though she doesn't know crap from crepes).

I personally know a (sexually active) 13 year old girl (with very little clothing on) who crawled into bed with a 18 year old guy in the middle of the night. He did the right thing to throw her out of his bed, but how much blame can you place on a guy who didn't have the strength of the biblical Joseph? (By the way, the 18 year old guy in the above story was me... and my heart was sure pounding, I can tell you that!)

People always like to throw stones until they are the one in the situation. I think the whole situation is messed up. The teacher, being recently divorced, was obviously sexually vulnerable. This guy was more than happy to "help her out". She obviously needs some sort of penalty for doing what she did, especially since she was in authority over him, but I'm not about to say that he was simply a victim of a child rapist. If he was 6 or 9, sure... but 14? I don't think it is that simple. And I agree with others on the boards here that the situation is going to scar him for life. Heck... it will probably boost his ego, if anything.

I think the laws in this country are not specific enough about what consentual sex is between postpubescent individuals. There are thousands of guys registered as sex offenders in this country who were 18/19/20 or so who slept with their 14/15 year old girlfriends. Most of the time the situation was consentual, but when the girl gets preggo, all hell can break loose, and the guy can end up behind bars for years as a registered sex offender for life. I personally think this is crazy. Not because I think it is right, but because I think better lines need to be drawn as to what constitutes a child rapist.

I don't view an 18 year old guy who is seduced by an already sexually active 15 year old girl as a child rapist, nor a sex offender. I don't think the 18 year old should go to prison and register as a sex offender for the rest of his life if she gets pregnant and/or presses charges unless there is proof that it was not consentual (rape). I personally know a girl who had consentual sex with a guy (she seduced him at a party). The girl was 14, he was 18. She asked him to marry her, and when he refused to marry her, she got very angry. Life went on and she later (6 years later) decided to press charges (at this point the guy was happily married with children). It just about cost him his marriage and he almost had to register as a sex offender. If this would have happened, he probably would have never been able to even have visitation rights with his own children.

As for the case with this teacher, I think the sentence was enough. If it would have been reversed (the girl 14/guy 25), I think the sentence should be the same. I do, however, have a problem with post-pubescent consentual sex laws, because many registered sex offenders fall into this category.

I have two daughters (6 and 3). When my wife and I move into an area, we actually check the internet for our area to find out if there are any registered sex offenders in the area we are moving to, simply because it is a smart thing to do. What I want to know when I look at the reports is whether or not I have to worry about my kids getting snatched by a tried and true child molester/rapist. Instead, what I get for a report could say "child rapist", but it really means the guy was 18 and he slept with his 15 year old girl friend who got ticked off when he wouldn't marry her and she pressed charges. Most likely I wouldn't have to worry at all about that guy at all... but instead I wonder if the guy one block away raped 3 year olds weekly. There is a big difference.

Rock

[Gandalf]

This teacher wasn't recently divorced; she was recently married. Her husband divorced her after this incident. I somewhat sympathize with Rock's examples of people being seduced by minors... those situations are not on par with sexual predators. But that's not what seems to have happened here, so far as I can tell. We have a newlywed teacher who apparently seduced and repeatedly had sexual relations with a minor student, and from her statements was attracted to him primarily because he was underaged and it was taboo.

[Pouye]

This teacher wasn't recently divorced; she was recently married. Her husband divorced her after this incident. I somewhat sympathize with Rock's examples of people being seduced by minors... those situations are not on par with sexual predators. But that's not what seems to have happened here, so far as I can tell. We have a newlywed teacher who apparently seduced and repeatedly had sexual relations with a minor student, and from her statements was attracted to him primarily because he was underaged and it was taboo.

Yeah... as I said, the whole thing was messed up and wrong. Her acts were wrong in my eyes because she was in authority over him (as a teacher), and she wasn't married to him (since sex outside of wedlock is always sin). She was definately wrong, but I have a hard time seeing the boy as an innocent victim of a sex crime. More likely, he was a willing accomplice. Heck, in just a few months he will be driving a car, and will not need his cousin to drive him around. I don't think he should be punished, and I think her sentence was more than enough of a punishment. She will find it hard to get a job for the rest of her life. The sick thing is that she has become so popular because of what she has done. The boy would be just as popular if they could legally release his name and picture.

Rock

[Gandalf]

I agree he was more likely a willing accomplice than not. It's not so much that I think her sentence should necessarily be harsher than it is, as that I think it should be consistent with the sentence that would be handed down if the genders were reversed, and I don't think it is.

[Pouye]

I agree he was more likely a willing accomplice than not. It's not so much that I think her sentence should necessarily be harsher than it is, as that I think it should be consistent with the sentence that would be handed down if the genders were reversed, and I don't think it is.

The jury was probably easy on her because she is just about every 14 year old boy's fantasy... ;)

(Did I say that to a moderator? *slap*)

Rock

[GuitarMan2387]

lmao. pouye you naughty person.

haha i have to admit god blessed her with beauty its a shame that she misused it.