Many people drink alcohol before reaching the legal age of 21. Some parents may let their teenagers try a sip of beer, or a person may have a drink at a party. While this can seem innocent in a safe environment, underage drinking can escalate and quickly become dangerous. Long-term effects of underage drinking include impaired cognitive and physical development, memory and learning problems, increased risk of abusing other substances, and alcohol dependence. Drinking under the age of 21 is a crime in and of itself, but it can also lead to various other crimes with serious consequences.

Juvenile Drinking Crimes

1. Drinking underage: The first crime is the consumption of alcohol by those under the age of 21. If a law enforcement officer sees the possession, consumption, purchase, or receipt of alcohol by anyone under the age of 21, the legal consequence will be a three-month suspension of driving privileges for court supervision, six months for a first conviction, one year for a second conviction, and license revocation for subsequent convictions.

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Relationship violence is not reserved for adult marriages. In fact, nearly 1.5 million high school students in America experience physical abuse from a dating partner each year. Although physical abuse receives attention, there are many other forms of abuse from which teens suffer. One in three adolescents in the United States is a victim of physical, sexual, emotional, or verbal abuse from a dating partner. The high use of technology has created new ways for boyfriends and girlfriends to abuse their partner.

Ways to Enforce Power and Control

Abuse has always been a means to have power and control over another person. By taking away the equality between both partners, the abuser can feel like he or she has the control in the relationship. The following are common abuse tactics used:

In an increasingly rare show of bipartisan agreement, Republican Governor Bruce Rauner has signed a number of bills into law that are intended to bolster the state’s effort to reform existing Illinois criminal justice laws, especially with respect to juveniles. Citing a need to help individuals gain a second chance at becoming productive citizens and avoiding a cycle of incarceration, Rauner acknowledged the fact that most crime is attributable to factors such as mental illness, addiction, and a lack of basic job skills or training. As a result, Rauner characterized these reforms as a more compassionate view of the criminal justice system designed to focus on rehabilitation in order to prevent recidivism and promote reunification of families.

SB 3164

SB 3164 requires that prior to sentencing, courts must review presentencing reports and provide an explanation as to why incarceration is appropriate for offenders with no prior probation sentences or prison convictions. The Governor’s Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform recommended this reform based on the fact that in 2015, almost 60% of new prison admissions for Class 3 or Class 4 felonies had no prior violent crime convictions. The standard sentences of incarceration for low-level offenders is an inefficient use of prison resource and can even make these offenders more likely to reoffend in the future.

Sexting means sending sexually explicit images, specifically through electronic means. Generally, consenting adults are free to send sexually explicit images of themselves or other adults. But when teenagers sext, they commit a criminal offense. This is because they are exchanging sexually explicit photos of children.

States treat sexting differently; some punish it under child pornography laws, while others have specific sexting laws. In Illinois, juveniles who engage in sexting are subject to juvenile prosecution. This means that they are subject to less harsh penalties than they would be if convicted under child pornography laws. But there are several statutes that are relevant to sexting in Illinois.

Electronic Dissemination of Indecent Visual Depictions