Originally posted by Gunslinger
no the legal age of adulthood in the US is 18. At 18 you can go to strip clubs/juice bars depending on the states liqure laws.
Key words there "depending on the state's liquor laws". And the "legal age of adulthood in the US" is 21. At 18 you cannot enter into a binding contract. You gain some adult privileges, more in some states depending on state laws. But full adult status is not recognized until 21. Yes some states allow entry into "juice bars" and you can go into exotic dance places. In most states, real strippers (meaning they go beyond pasties and a G-string) require you to be 21 to enter. And of course you MUST be 21 to drink alcohol, in almost every state of the US (I think there might still be 2 states that have the drinking age set at 18).
Originally posted by Staga
So 16 year old is old enough to get a death sentence in the court but not old enough to see a stripper?
He's also old enough to drive a car but not old enough to make a decision if he/she should watch s stripper performing or not?
Decisions on whether or not a child can be tried as an adult vary from state to state. Some are as low as 13 for capital offenses. Hawaii for example, has NO law regarding this, and ANY child of ANY age can be charged as an adult if the courts deem it necessary. As for your example of "old enough to get the death sentence, but not old enough to see a stripper", thats been a long running argument for guys who serve in the armed forces. They can sign up at 18 on their own, but cant drink, or even buy a car or a house on their own (unless they are legally emancipated, but that opens up a whole new can of worms). I believe there is a legislator trying to change that drinking age thing, but I doubt he will have much success.
Regardless, the issue here is the actions of an adult (the boy's mother), and not the boy. Also the actions of other adults, and how they affected or influenced minors. It's something that must be considered. But just for those of you quoting LAW (and I hate to bust your chops on this one Cap'n but you are wrong), all they can legally be charged with at this point is "contributing to the delinquency of a minor" which is a deliberately broad and vague charge, open to interpretation. The states laws regarding minors and strippers only apply to minors getting in to establishments to view the acts, not to acts that occur in a private home. The prosecution sees it as "skirting the law" and may try to interpret the law to include such a thing, thus bringing more charges. I doubt they will stick without changing the wording of the law.
I seriously doubt any lasting harm was done to the boy or his friends, and I havent heard any "outraged parent" quotes on the net over this. It's been a story for days. It also says that besides the mother, father, and stripper, "two others" are facing charges. Other parents perhaps? I'm just sayin, usually in a deal like this there would be interviews everywhere with upset parents talking about the moral decline of our country and blah blah blah...........none of that here. There's more to the story.
