Before we dive into the story of 28-year-old teacher Brittni Colleps and the five students she's accused of having sex with, a disclaimer is in order. Any time a teacher takes advantage of a student, she (or he) deserves to be punished. It's an unconscionable betrayal of trust. And yet, there's a lot wrong with the way Colleps is being treated right now.
The former English teacher (yes, she lost her job over the allegations) at a Texas high school allegedly had sex with five different students in her home over the course of two months. All the kids were over 18. But now Colleps could spend 20 years in prison.
Twenty years? I get that what Colleps is accused of is wrong. If she's convicted, she most certainly should be punished. But the fact that these "kids" were all adult males can't be ignored. The threat of 20 years in prison brings a whiff of malicious prosecution to this whole case.
Let's put this in perspective, shall we?
Mary Kay Letourneau had numerous sexual encounters with her 13-year-old student, eventually bearing two of his children. She spent less than eight years in the slammer.
In June of this year, a man named Josh Boyd was sentenced to 13 years in prison. Earlier this year Boyd pleaded guilty to felony murder.
In 2011, a man named Terrence Sundsmo was sentenced to 15 years and 8 months in prison. He'd been convicted of possessing more than 4,600 graphic images of child porn, including sadomasochistic imagery.
I'm not saying Brittni Colleps should get off. If she did the crime, she should do some time. But 20 years seems excessive. Here's hoping a judge errs on the side of sense (she could get as little as two).
What do you think would be an appropriate sentence here?
Image via cdsessums/Flickr
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Comments 52
I think that she should be punished severely. The issue seems to be that it is out of proportion with other similar instances that seem more sever.
It is disturbing how little time these other people got.
I doubt she will get 20 years, expecially if that is the max sentence.
First let me say I think what she did is wrong and an abuse of the trust and power involved in the teacher student relationship. However, if they were all over 18 they weren't kids they were adults and over the age of consent. So unless Texas has a law specificallyabout anyone in a teaching position sleeping with someone that is a student or proof something happened before they were 18 I don't really think she broke the law. The laws most of these people get charged with are statutory rape, sexual misconduct with a minor, delinquency of a minor or something along those lines where it is an adult abusing a child but in this story they were all adults. So while I think what she did was wrong and beyond stupid and she should lose her job ,did she really break any laws if they are all 18?
I think 20 years sounds about right to me. If this was a male teacher sleeping with 18 year old we wouldn't want to give him a free pass. The fact is she has a profession where we are suppose to tell us when someone is being abused and now we know her morale compass is severely bent. I think you do the crime you do the time and she had to know this was a bad idea. Personally, I think we go to easy sometimes on sex offenders. I think the Latourneau got off easy.
Going for the max is the best way to get her to plea out to a lesser charge and do some time guaranteed with out a trial. It's just how the system works.
She should lose her licence for it, but not spend 20 yrs in prison for consensual sex with another ADULT.
My senior prom when I walked in I got to meet my physics teachers new wife. She had been a senior at our school the year before I meet her when she was "his" TA for my physics 1 class. No one ever did a thing to him or about it he still works at the school today and this was years ago. Also he was in his 40s. Tell me something didn't start while she was still in school if in less then a year after she graduated they were married and she came to prom with him.