Extreme Gender Bias: Woman Who Statutorily Raped Boy Avoids Jail, While Boy's Older Brother Goes to Prison for Same Crime
August 22nd, 2007 by Glenn Sacks, MA for Fathers & FamiliesI'm opposed to prison sentences for certain statutory rape situations--in many countries, a 21-year-old man having a relationship with a 17-year-old woman is perfectly normal.
A friend's grandparents recently celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary, and it was publicized in local papers, as it should be, since it's such an achievement. But looking at the story and doing a little math made me realize that if the two of them had gotten married yesterday, he would go to jail--he was 21 and she was 17 when they got married in 1922. This is absurd.
On the other had, if it's a 24 year-old and a 14-year-old, well, that's another story. But however one feels about the statutory rape laws, they should be enforced without gender bias, and that is clearly not the case. Another example is below.
In this case, a 24-year-old woman who statutorily raped a 14-year-old boy will avoid jail. Ironically, the boy's older brother is serving a 3 1/2 year prison sentence for the same crime. He statutorily raped a girl when he was 22 and she was 14.
This gender bias is typical. A five-year study conducted by a Kansas State University professor found that male teachers are likely to get 15 to 20 years in prison for sexual relations with students, whereas female teachers usually are placed on probation or go to prison for one to three years. Paul Logli, president of the National District Attorneys Association, says:
"There is no question it's more likely that as a case winds its way through the court, in more cases the woman is going to get probation, whereas the man, under the same circumstances, is going to get prison."
The story is below--thanks to Thomas, a reader, for sending it to me.
Mom who has child by teen gets probation
By Joe Elias
The Patriot-News, 8/22/07
NEW BLOOMFIELD — A 24-year-old woman who gave birth to a 14-year-old boy's child won't go to jail so that she can take care of the newborn, a Perry County judge ruled Tuesday.
Angela Nicole Rudy of the 600 block of Lewisberry Road, Fairview Twp., York County, received probation and a suspended sentence of 3 to 18 months in prison.
The 14-year-old's mother, however, said that's a double standard.
"If she was a man, she would already be in prison," the mother said. "She's only out because she's a woman. A criminal should not be able to hide behind the fact that they have a child."
The teen's mother is not being identified to protect the identity of her son. The Patriot-News does not identify sex-assault victims.
The teen's mother compared the case to that of her 23-year-old son, who is serving a 2 1/2- to 4 1/2-year state prison sentence for his second statutory sexual-assault offense. The offenses occurred in Perry and York counties. A 15-year-old York County girl gave birth to his child in late 2006, court records said.
"I don't see a difference," the mother said. "The issue is the crime, not who will be watching the child."
Rudy gave birth to a boy in April.
"I'm not going to break the bond between a parent and an infant," Perry County Judge Kathy A. Morrow said. "That only causes more problems."
Instead, Morrow sentenced Rudy to 2 years of probation, which is within the state guidelines for the crime to which Rudy pleaded guilty in July: one count of statutory sexual assault.
Morrow had considered sending Rudy to a halfway house in Mifflin or Dauphin county, where she could work during the day and stay with the child at night. Probation officials said they couldn't get Rudy into either facility.
District Attorney Charles Chenot said he was disappointed in the judge's decision. "I certainly feel that some sort of incarceration was in order," he said.
Rudy's lawyer, Shaubot C. Walz, the county's public defender, said the sentence was what he requested.
Morrow also ordered Rudy to have no contact with the victim except to exchange custody of the baby. She also ordered drug and alcohol counseling.
The baby's father, who was not in court, has told The Patriot-News he does not believe Rudy should be imprisoned for their sexual relationship, saying it was consensual.
State law says that someone younger than 16 cannot consent to sex with someone more than four years older.
"He was a child, and you took advantage of him," Morrow told Rudy.
Tina Nixon, executive director of the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg, said as a general rule, boys are less likely to report any type of sexual assault, especially when they don't consider themselves victims.
"In a case like this, boys don't understand it's illegal," she said.
In 2006, the YWCA's crisis hot line handled 709 calls about sexual assaults, and just 10 were from boys, Nixon said.
In July 2006, Rudy drove the teen, who is a Perry County resident and a family friend, to a pull-off along Route 274 in Spring Twp. near West Perry High School. They had sex in the vehicle, court records state.
Rudy told police she was drunk at the time, records state. The teen's mother reported Rudy to the police after learning Rudy was pregnant.
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August 22nd, 2007 at 2:21 pm
You also fail to account for how hot the woman is. See Debbie LaFave, who got off because the judge thought that a woman that attractive was sure to be abused in prison.
August 22nd, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Let's not forget one thing. CS (Child Support) . . . as in many similiar cases, this rapist will also be awarded child support from her victim.
Mommy and Daddy need to raise their boy's allowance, since he is too young to work more than part-time, before his picture is placed on a pizza box and be labeled a Dead Beat Dad. And if he is unable to pay his obligation to his rapist, he could face prison. Ironic, the rapist goes free and the victim goes to prison.
August 22nd, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Funny how we're always hearing about how much faster girls mature than boys.
If so, then maybe a female statutory rapist deserves MORE jail time, not less.
And that "bonding" business is interesting. Let's try applying that rationale to a 22-year old who impregnates a minor and will have his bond with his child "broken" by prison.
August 22nd, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Judge Morrow "I'm not going to break the bond between a parent and an infant,"
What a moronic statement.. Has anyone checked her record, to see how many fathers she sent to prison for raping a child and getting her pregnant? You can bet she has sentenced many.
But of course today, men are not considered parents. Only a woman is.
Female rapists are not new. My brother in-law was raped for many yrs by his aunt from the time he was 8 until 14. That was back in the 70's. There are many boys and girls that have been raped by woman. Not only teachers. He has told, and that woman has not spend a day in jail. In fact back then he was laughed at and still is laughed at. I have seen what this has done to his mental state.
It is sad to see that in the 20th century, the same punishment is still being used against these criminals.
You can bet our children are seeing just how the system works.
Linda
August 22nd, 2007 at 4:56 pm
A website for male survivors of sexual abuse:
http://www.malesurvivor.org
A few years ago they interviewed one of the mass murders to find out what made him tick. It seems a close female relative was using him as a boy toy from a very early age. He got back at women by raping and killing a bunch and young girls too.
Anyone thinking sexual abuse or sexual exploitation of any kind is funny is in dire need of counseling.
DanH
August 22nd, 2007 at 5:45 pm
Perhaps this womans older son can have his sentance set aside on 14th amendment grounds
Also will this woman be forced to register as a sex offended like the guy will be??
August 22nd, 2007 at 8:25 pm
QUOTE: "I'm not going to break the bond between a parent and an infant," Perry County Judge Kathy A. Morrow said. "That only causes more problems."
Oh no, the courts would never engage in that. And of course the only "parent" that really matters is the criminal sex offender. Wait a minute, so this Judge is going put this child in the primary physical custody of a sex offender? Somehow if she was a he, I doubt she'd be so eager.
August 22nd, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Mike, You are correct. It is very interesting that she (a convicted child molester) gets to keep this baby boy. But the child that is the father gets to have visitation rights (how quaint). There isn't even a mention of her having to register as a child molester.
I am willing to bet, this pedophile will sue the victim for child support. AND he will have to start paying when he starts working. AND, be considered a dead beat father, for not paying for at least 4 yrs.
It behooves me what the judge means by "That only causes more problems.". The baby could be raised by a family that can bond with him. Otherwise why are we allowing adoptions. The child does not need to be with a pedophile for any insane person feelings of a judge that doesn't know how to protect the innocent.
Judge Morrow and, all the other judges, that are letting these scum's go should be held in contempt. The system as it stands now, allows judges to use their OWN personal feelings in sentencing decisions. They are not following the laws they swore to uphold. This MUST be changed, before any other boys become the victims by not only these pedophiles, but also from the courts.
August 23rd, 2007 at 1:06 am
Seems pretty clear that the 14 year old boy was lucky he wasn't charged with sexual assault or rape of the 24 year old female. I'm surprised that she didn't invoke this obvious, and unfortunately, likely successful defense.
August 23rd, 2007 at 4:40 am
These cases make me want to puke! I am a survivor of a female offender rape and WELL aware of the pride in damaging the victim which is our society and culture.
Think of it, these rulings effectively mean that no male has any choice in becoming a father: A female has a veto in her right to rape and pay a minor penalty while keeping the child and collecting child support. Can anyone spell slavery?
Linda is right: A man is not a parent. SICK! Perverted!
People complain about child abusers, but only male child abusers. Female child abusers are mothers and thus perfect parents. BAH!
August 23rd, 2007 at 5:50 am
And just to put the icing on the cake...
Did anyone else spot this:
"In July 2006, Rudy drove the teen, who is a Perry County resident and a family friend, to a pull-off along Route 274 in Spring Twp. near West Perry High School. They had sex in the vehicle, court records state.
Rudy told police she was drunk at the time, records state"
So not only did she plan how & where she was going to have sex with him (she drove him to the lay-by) she drove whilst drunk! Either this statement was a lie to a law enforcement officer (to make her actions sound less calculating) or she endangered the life of a minor and the other road-users by driving whilst pissed. Couldn't they have hit her for the admitted DUI at the same time as the other charges?
August 23rd, 2007 at 1:53 pm
Couldn't they have hit her for the admitted DUI at the same time as the other charges?
Sorry, that would require our courts holding a female responsible for her actions.
August 28th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
>This gender bias is typical. A five-year study conducted by a Kansas State University professor found that male teachers are likely to get 15 to 20 years in prison for sexual relations with students, whereas female teachers usually are placed on probation or go to prison for one to three years.
Glenn, will you please tell us where to find this study? What is its title and who was its author?
August 29th, 2007 at 9:44 am
Lord, lord. I can barely even wrap my head around this one. It sounds to me like the offender (no matter how female, hot, maternal, etc.) should go to jail. And I agree with Tex on the offender needing more jail time, but maybe not for the same reasons.
Why doesn't she have to register as a sex offender? I mean, she IS one. The registry is supposed to keep our children safe. I have daughters, and I know where our local convicted offenders are. If I had sons, I'd want to know if someone like her was living nearby.
This isn't just a little bit of a double standard. This is a big one, and I think it's an outrage. Are we so afraid of another LeTourneau/Fulaau hellbender that we're willing to look the other way? Oh, the judge doesn't want to break up a family... I thought that was the business judges were in these days. Let's hope she's willing to break up the family if it turns out that the offender/mom is abusing her new baby/get out of jail free card.
September 27th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
First I want to let everyone know that I am the victims mother. I was just told today about this and wanted to see how other people see what I feel is a complete joke of the justice system.The justice system has completely failed! i tried for several months to keep Angela away from my son while he lived with me.The police kept telling me there was nothing they could do unless my son was willing to state that he was raped.(what 14yr old boy do you know is willing to do that when they think their grown and having fun?)It ended up in my son and I constantly fighting and him going to live with his father in Perry County where he was able to continue seeing her.it wasn't until I found out that she was pregnant that someone was willing to do something and that was only after i told authorities that I was going to the media.
My older son is in statecorrectional facility for the same thing.The only difference is that his relationship with the minor involved was aproved by her mother and when it was found out that she was pregnant he wanted to marry her and raise his son.Unfortunately he is unable to do that.he has only been able to touch his son once thanks to a very understanding district justice.Since than he can only see pictures. By the way thanks to all of you for supporting his son. Since the judge locked him up and his mother is too young to work a full time job she had to rely on public assistance.
I stated that Angela knew what she was doing .She knew that getting caught in Perry County was not going to be that bad.Perry County makes up their own rules as far as justice.
Bottom line is....I feel she should go to jail or my other son should be set free to care for his son too. Why should he be away from his child if it causes problems.The judge decides which child can have the problems and which one doesn't. I guess Judge Morrow is now passing sentence on babies too.
Thanks for everyones support...if you have any ideas please let me know!
December 5th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
[...] To learn more, see my blog post Extreme Gender Bias: Woman Who Statutorily Raped Boy Avoids Jail, While Boy's Older Brother Goes to .... [...]
December 11th, 2007 at 4:21 am
Oh please, rape? lets be honest.............no 14 year old boy goes to bed at night without thinking of how wonderful it would be to have sex with such a hottie. 14 or 24, men have sexual thoughts every 11 seconds, and If I were 14 I sure as heck wouldn't mind having her rape me............you cant rape the willing............
December 11th, 2007 at 11:32 am
Your "Good Old Boy" attitude, IS, a big part of the problem. How, ironic that your login is "Church"
You seem to think that because it was a male child, then it is OK to have sex with them. IT IS child molestation no matter how you look at it, and the effects for the child are almost always detrimental.
While a child is capable of the mechanics, they aren't capable of coping with the consequences that can come along with it. Twenty years later it becomes an issue. It becomes harder to live with. Then you add the people with your mental state. Telling them it was a gold star moment. This is very confusing and wrong on many levels. (you should hang your head in shame)
The laws are made to protect the innocent from pedophiles. It does not matter if the pedophile is a "HOT" female or not. That adult used her power over a child.
Granted this child may have had fantasies. Not all fantasies have to be acted upon. This woman and any other pedophile like her, needs to pay for the wrong they do. I don't give a rats tail if the woman that rapes a child is , as you say "HOT". That has nothing to do with the fact that a child was raped.
December 11th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
Church sez:
"Oh please, rape? lets be honest.............no 14 year old boy goes to bed at night without thinking of how wonderful it would be to have sex with such a hottie. 14 or 24, men have sexual thoughts every 11 seconds, and If I were 14 I sure as heck wouldn't mind having her rape me............you cant rape the willing............"
Um...THIS boy (me, being 19 years old) never went to bed thinking about having sex with a teacher! And I had some pretty attractive teachers when I was in high school. But neither me or anybody else I knew ever thought it would be wonderful to nail a teacher. On the contrary, we recognized that it would be sick and wrong, and that doing so would be pedophilia on the teacher's part. Hell, even now, I have a few young and attractive female professors, but neither me nor any other male I know feels like they want to go out of their way to get them in bed; we may be of legal age, but that'd still just be pretty gross, and so we're not going to do it.
I would strongly suggest that you rethink your perceptions of teenagers, men, and teenage males. Surprisingly enough, a lot of us are more than the immature, sex-obsessed animals that people like you would prefer to paint us as. And hey, here's another suggestion: maybe if you actually TRIED to see us as more than what skewed stereotypes dictate and treated us with some dignity, respect, and humanity, we'd be a little more inclined to live up to our potential and not fall into said stereotypes.
April 16th, 2008 at 10:08 am
[...] The outrageous case involving the 24-year-old Pennsylvania woman is covered in my blog post Extreme Gender Bias: Woman Who Statutorily Raped Boy Avoids Jail, While Boy's Older Brother Goes to .... [...]
April 16th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Well, there you have it. The double standard can't be more plain and obvious than this.
April 16th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
It's sort of amusing that everyone, including Glenn, totally discounts what nearly all of the persons interviewed in the article said. Namely, that the "victim" seemed to think this was consensual. If the roles were reversed, this blog post would have been about blaming the victim and bashing the woman. But since the story turned out the way it did, it ended up being a complaint about the poor oppressed male.
April 17th, 2008 at 4:50 am
14 year old boys are neither innocent or stupid.This was only "rape" by technicality, however messed up it is, since it was consensual. This is not at -all- the same thing as someone forcing themselves on another person.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:35 am
To Bob & God--There's no evidence that the 23-year-old who went to prison for having sex with a 15-year-old "forced himself" on her or did anything that was "nonconsensual."
In both cases--the case of the older woman having sex with the 14-year-old boy and the case in which the 23-year-old man had sex with the 15-year-old girl--the sex was "consensual," except for the fact that the teenagers were underage.--GS
September 25th, 2008 at 8:56 am
it is a bad act!!!!