LEHIGH COUNTY, Pa.—In a move that may have the effect of branding a teenage girl—and possibly hundreds more—as a “sex offender” for life, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has reinstated child porn charges against the girl, known in court papers only as “C.S.”, who posted a hardcore video of two of her teenage friends on Facebook.
C.S. was originally charged with violations of 18 Pa.C.S. §6312, “Sexual Abuse of Children,” for having “disseminated” the video in violation of subsection (c) of the law, and also under subsection (d), “Child Pornography.” However, in 2012, Lehigh County Judge Robert L. Steinberg dismissed those charges, ruling that the law was unconstitutional as applied to C.S. because it “fails to provide a teenager of ordinary intelligence ‘fair notice’ of what is prohibited.” Full Article
While I believe that it is unconscionable to put a teenager on the registry for life, I have to admit that I feel satisfaction that this has happened. Perhaps this will help people to see how out-of-control the laws have become.