J. Tom Morgan’s mission is to tell teenagers what they don’t want to hear: Just one stupid mistake could make them a criminal to the state.
In his readable book, “Ignorance is No Defense: A Teenager’s Guide to Georgia Law,” Morgan demonstrates that any young teen, no matter how good or bright, may be arrested for sometimes surprising reasons. Worse, some crimes are indelible felonies; a conviction taints a teen’s record for life.
Morgan, a former District Attorney for DeKalb County and one of the first prosecutors in Georgia to specialize in crimes against children, currently works in private practice as a trial lawyer. He’s known for success in the courtroom, but his work as a child advocate seems the purpose and passion of his work. He hopes to help teens avoid being both victims and perpetrators of crimes, and he wants kids and parents to pay attention.
Did you know that in Georgia there are “Seven Deadly Sins” which are different from those we associate with religion? These are crimes for which even 13- to 16-year-olds are prosecuted as adults: murder, voluntary manslaughter, rape, aggravated sodomy, aggravated child molestation, aggravated sexual battery and armed robbery with a firearm. Sexual acts among young teens under 18 are often considered criminal.
If you could never imagine your child doing any of those things, could you imagine them giving their friend a pill for a headache? Or shoplifting for a quick thrill? Or taking a lewd picture on a cellphone as a joke? In some cases these errors in judgment are punishable felonies.
I had no idea there were so many ways for teens to get into such serious trouble. Neither did Debbie Roth and Nita Stallard. They were at a PTA conference when they first heard Morgan speak. Roth, co-president of the Chattahoochee High School PTSA and Stallard, who chairs the Milton High School Drug and Alcohol Awareness Committee, were moved to bring Morgan’s message to North Fulton.
Roth was first to get going. She had Morgan present to Chattahoochee students and parents. Then she helped her high school pass a resolution incorporating elements of Morgan’s book into the school’s health curriculum. Stallard has followed suit at Milton, and the movement to get Morgan’s information into schools is spreading.
If you’re disturbed by this notion, know that Georgia law requires that middle and high school students be taught the legal “Seven Deadly Sins,” as well as other health issues that align with Morgan’s book. These include recognizing how sexual decisions are influenced by group pressure and identifying threats to personal safety, including incest, rape and date rape.
We may wish our kids could stay innocent, but we’re foolish if we think keeping them from knowing the law will keep them from breaking it. “If our criminal laws treat teenagers as adults,” Morgan states, “our society has a moral obligation to educate our teenagers — and we need to do it now.” Thanks to J. Tom Morgan for all he’s doing for our teens.
Veronica Buckman, a writer, lives in Milton.
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