Woman who had baby with 14-year-old boy gets probation

Dawn Fisher, the 33-year-old Swanton woman who gave birth to a 14-year-old boy's baby, was sentenced Tuesday to five years in community control -- with no jail time. Even Judge James Bates admitted there's a double standard when men and women commit the same crime. The sentence has some angry, while others are scratching their heads. This is especially true of the mother of the boy involved in this case. She's furious, but one local attorney says while no jail time may seem unfair for the crime committed, it's not surprising. [...]

Judge Bates told Fisher, "If I had a male in front of me that would have had sex with a 14-year-old female, I think everybody in the courtroom would know what I would do to that particular offender. They would be going to a state institution for a very lengthy period of time." Fisher could have received up to five years in prison. Instead, Judge Bates sentenced her to five years of supervised probation. But even he said it's almost a double standard. [...]

Attorney Jerry Phillips told News 11, "It may be hard to explain, it may not be fair, but it is what it is." He says it has to do with our culture. "There is a cultural bias against putting women in jail," he said. He also said that in a sexual crime where the woman is the adult and the male is the minor, women are less severely punished than when the roles are reversed.

source: Article 'Woman Who Had Baby With 14-Year-Old Boy Gets Probation' by 'PJS'; www.wtol.com/global/story.asp?s=5523859&ClientType=Printable; 12 October 2006