There is a horrific story out of Alabama where Christian Adamek, 15, committed suicide. Unfortunately, teen suicides are not uncommon but this suicide occurred after Adamek was arrested for running naked across the Sparkman High School football field and was told that he faced expulsion and be registered as a sexual offender. That is clearly too much for a 15-year-old kid, particularly after a common prank like streaking.
The day before Christian’s suicide, Sparkman High Principal Michael Campbell spoke to the media to emphasize that Christian would be handled as a criminal suspect: “There’s the legal complications. Public lewdness and court consequences outside of school with the legal system, as well as the school consequences that the school system has set up.” In Alabama, indecent exposure is linked to the state’s sex offender laws. In addition to Campbell’s public statements, Sparkman High administrators reportedly recommended that Christian face a hearing in the Madison County court system for possible formal charges. In addition, they moved to discipline him. In this interview, the principal says that the situation is far more serious than “they” realize and says that it is not simply a matter of a prank. The media coverage pushed the story that the teen would be going into the juvenile criminal justice system and could be labeled a sex offender.
It is hard to judge from the stories what emotional issues Christian may have been facing. However, the threats of criminal charges, and a sex offender listing, are ridiculous for a high school prank. We have seen a trend (here and here and here and here) of school officials criminalizing a wide range of conduct that was once treated matters for a sit down with parents and nothing more. It also reflects the seemingly exponential expansion of sex offender lists, which are increasingly put teenagers on a listing with lifelong burdens and stigma.
Once again, we do not know all of the influences on this tragic suicide. However, I fail to understand why such matters are immediately viewed as criminal matters for the principal and school officials.
Christian leaves behind his mother, Angela, and a sister and a brother.
Source: Daily Mail
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20131011_Video_shows_aggressive_stop_and_frisk_in_Philly_that_ACLU_calls__abusive_.html
Disturbing use of authority. A criminal charge for teen dumbness? No one was physically harmed and there will be no emotional scars. Banksters rob the country blind and pay a small fine courtesy of the shareholder. Political hacks break insider trading rules and reap financial rewards. NSA head commits perjury and is considered a rock star by the Congress he lied to. GWB lies about WMDs and sends thousands to their death. This kid runs naked across a field and is treated more harshly than any of those real criminals mentioned above. Two-tiered justice; one for the minions and one for those who have millions$$.
(or rather inducing to suicide)
Of course OS is right. I have to wonder if there were other factors/issues with which Christian was struggling. Schools should be aware of this. I remember when I went to school in the late 50’s and thru the 60’s there seemed to be nothing in place for kids with issues/home problem etc but that is not (or should not) be the case nowadays since schools have (or again should have) a higher awareness and ability to help those students in trouble. (And help appropriately,not with threatening actions that will carry through their entire lives, such as registering, and how is this a sex crime anyway? He didn’t threaten anyone or force someone to do something with him, or show himself in a way that was menat to be sexual. Maybe the principal could be indicted for assisting a suicide.
http://signup.kidslivesafe.com/lp7/d16tb.cshtml?c=31&scn=nbxd&sca=11&scs=1395&zip=&email=&vid=7de6e382343645e3b6b452408da3bb84
people are making money from harassing registered sex offenders.
I don’t even have minor children but I just got a spam email called
“notification of pediophile activity for your area”.
@Dean. Yes you are right that chasing while nude is worse than just streaking, but acceptance of public nudity could give someone a defense to chasing while nude or reduce reporting. The chasing while nude started on Memorial Drive in Cambridge MA so it should have been visible to drivers. Of course, it was before cell phones.
what Mark said.
I agree with Professor Turley about the trend to criminalize normal childhood acting out and pranks. There needs to be a point where common sense and keeping pranks from getting out of hand intersect.
I am sure school officials will take a self-righteous stance so their collective consciences will be clear. However, I am thinking the suicide was a foreseeable event and should have both civil and criminal consequences. I say “foreseeable” because the school administration is made up of professionals with advanced degrees. As part of their education as school administrators and guidance counselors, they would have had to take courses in psychology, including child psychology. That sets them apart from laypersons without specialized knowledge.
@kay sieverding, I’d say that a naked man chasing you is a worse crime than “passive” streaking which is more for the prank value than anything else, I imagine.
The sex offenders register is frankly far too harsh but the Principal should be held to account for his part in pushing this towards a criminal action and for publicly naming and shaming the young man.
Ever notice how the word “principle” has another spelling? If it is a matter of principle it gets he “le” at the end. If we connote the head of a school then it gets “pal” at the end. A head of a school is never you’re “Pal”. Maybe like paypal where you pay for whatever you do or say and the schmuck principal is out for self, self and ownself. All principals are self centered schmucks who could not teach. Remember the adage: Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach. Those who can’t teach, teach teachers.
The Principal of this school needs to be put on a sex offender list. He should also be put on the “short list”. He should not walk on sidewalks too close to the street and he should keep his self away from uncurtained windows at night. Some relative of the dead kid just might get some revenge.
This is why we need gangs.
It would seem once the Baby Boomers got streaking out of their systems they now want to make it a felony for today’s youth. I guess they forgot they were “free spirits.”
The principal demonstrated a disappointing level of poor judgement in this matter.
A $500 fine for student streaking would also probably be enough to stop it.
A naked stranger chased me one night for at least a block and really scared me so I think that streaking should be illegal. But I agree that the sex offender laws are overly broad. I heard about a family being warned about their neighbor being a sex offender and it turned out that all he did was have consensual sex with a woman a few years younger, and even that was years earlier.
My dad was 5 years older than my mom and they started dating when she was under 18 so maybe he would have been classified as a sex offender under today’s laws.
Now the public can know the names and addresses of all men who had sex with a 17 year old when they were 21. For the rest of their lives these men are marked as game for sadists and can be embarassed and extorted at work or in any competitive situation.
I heard that in California it is super easy to get a restraining order but they expire after a year with no stigma. Maybe there could be something similar for adults that show sexual interest in young neighbors — their guardians could ask for a court order that the neighbor stay away from their teen.
There could be a proactive program for adults who have contact with teens through their jobs and regular volunteer activities. They could have on-line programs that emphasize which sexual activities are illegal and why. The caretaker adults could take a two hour on-line program once a year and certify under penalty of perjury that they didn’t have any prohibited sex in the past year. Then they wouldn’t have to confess to what they did 20 years ago. You could ask the caretakers to certify that they weren’t alone with teens (except in their public office during work hours). Then if there was evidence that they were alone they could be prosecuted for perjury alone, it wouldn’t be necessary to prove sexual acts. If you made the penalty for a caretaker being alone with a teen in a prohibited situation low, like a $500 fine, then it will reduce the barriers to reporting and confessing but at the same time a $500 fine is enough for most to avoid being alone with a teen when it is prohibited. A teacher could be allowed and encouraged to legally meet with students in their windowed offices but prohibited from meeting students in the boiler room or off site.
Seriously, WTF were you clowns in the school administration thinking? Streaking a sex crime? You people have lost all critical perspective and are not fit to be involved in education.
Your idiocy contributed to a teen’s suicide – only the degree is to be determined.
A pox upon all your houses.
This is what happens when you apply moralizing to a problem rather than ethics and reason.
A parent’s worst nightmare and my prayers got out to them.
This is a disorderly conduct, handled in juvenile court, and done. The horseshit sex offender rap may have put this kid over the edge, but as most folks know, seldom is one incident the sole cause of suicide.
G-d d–mn authoritairian b-st-rds.
The real shame, of course, is that the true expletive is “authoritarian.”
Mark, Common sense is as rare as platinum now days.
The pendulum has swung too far. A prank should not ruin some kid’s life. Sex offender? Bullshit! When will common-sense reign again?
We went to a Mets-Phillies opener @ Veteran’s Stadium back in the 70’s, when streaking was @ its peak. A drunk guy from our bus streaked. We all had to pony up money for the idiots bail. So, streaking has always been illegal. The sex offender aspect is total horseshit.