'The deal of the century'

Prosecutors should be ashamed and the public should be outraged that Trenton teacher Sylvester Jones was offered a special form of probation yesterday for having a sexual relationship with one of his teenage students.

As prosecutors described it as the "deal of the century," they should have taken pause at their own words.

Why is Jones "getting off" with a slap on the wrist?

Let's dispel some misconceptions about this case and cases like it.

The girl was 17, practically an adult, right? Well, the girl was 16 when prosecutors allege that Jones started an inappropriate relationship with her. The law is the law, first of all, and statutary rape laws are on the books because CHILDREN CAN'T "CONSENT" to sex. They are too young to make that decision, especially when it involves an adult who should know better.

But more importantly, she was HIS STUDENT. He was in a position of authority over her, and to take advantage of that relationship is immoral and illegal and NEVER OK.

The fact that special probation - designed for first-time offenders who make an error in judgment unlikely to ever happen again and that hasn't had too much victim impact - was applied in this case is mind-boggling considering the factors above and that Jones was charged in this case and then allegedly caught having sexual contact with the girl in a public park while on probation!

Does that sound like someone who made a one-time error in judgment?

Does that sound like the kind of judgment we want to tell our children, parents and the public that it's OK to exhibit as a teacher in the public school system? That's what we're saying by not meting out a proper punishment in this case.

And a proper punishment would be Sylvester Jones behind bars.

'The deal of the century'

Prosecutors should be ashamed and the public should be outraged that Trenton teacher Sylvester Jones was offered a special form of probation yesterday for having a sexual relationship with one of his teenage students.

As prosecutors described it as the "deal of the century," they should have taken pause at their own words.

Why is Jones "getting off" with a slap on the wrist?

Let's dispel some misconceptions about this case and cases like it.

The girl was 17, practically an adult, right? Well, the girl was 16 when prosecutors allege that Jones started an inappropriate relationship with her. The law is the law, first of all, and statutary rape laws are on the books because CHILDREN CAN'T "CONSENT" to sex. They are too young to make that decision, especially when it involves an adult who should know better.

But more importantly, she was HIS STUDENT. He was in a position of authority over her, and to take advantage of that relationship is immoral and illegal and NEVER OK.

The fact that special probation - designed for first-time offenders who make an error in judgment unlikely to ever happen again and that hasn't had too much victim impact - was applied in this case is mind-boggling considering the factors above and that Jones was charged in this case and then allegedly caught having sexual contact with the girl in a public park while on probation!

Does that sound like someone who made a one-time error in judgment?

Does that sound like the kind of judgment we want to tell our children, parents and the public that it's OK to exhibit as a teacher in the public school system? That's what we're saying by not meting out a proper punishment in this case.

And a proper punishment would be Sylvester Jones behind bars.