Is a relationship legal between a 17 year old and a 21 year old?
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Is a relationship legal between a 17 year old and a 21 year old?
Are they required to wait until they are 18 and 22 in order to be legal? I ask because it would appear the age of consent in my state is 17 but the working of the law has got me rather confused.
Asked on October 26, 2011 under Criminal Law, New York
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
In all states in this country a 17 year old is deemed a minor. Depending upon the degree of the "relationship" between the 17 year old and the 21 year old, there may be nothing illegal about the relationship. In some states a minor with the consent of his or her parents can get married at a certain age.
The undertones of your question indicates concerns about an intimate relationship between a minor and a person who is not a minor. Technically you are correct in your concerns from a criminal aspect in that minors are deemed incapable legally of making certain decisions per statute including that of a personal intimate relationship.
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