Long Term Harm

The South Carolina Post and Courier reports  on the sentencing of Jessica L. Bradley (pic) a 20 year old area woman who as a teen had a sexual relationship with a boy 4 years her junior and subsequently became pregnant with the young man's child.  She is gong to prison.This is Schulyer Kropf's account;

"A woman who became involved in a sexual relationship with a teenage boy and gave birth to their baby was sentenced to four years in prison Friday for possessing child pornography.

Jessica L. Bradley, formerly of the Hanahan area, pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, which is the state's law dealing with pornographic material and minors.   The pornographic images were not of the boy, who was about 15 when the sexual relationship started last year. She was 19.   Jessica L. Bradley pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. Circuit Judge Roger Young sentenced Bradley to 10 years in prison, suspended to four years behind bars followed by five years of probation. The judge said he was troubled by her extensive involvement in pornography and apparent lack of remorse. He did note that she had been sexually abused as a youth.

Bradley, now 20, said little in court, other than to acknowledge the judge's questions. She has been in the Charleston County Detention Center for more than a year.

Jail time is warranted in the case, Young said during her guilty plea in the Charleston County Judicial Center, 'to help you recognize the wrong of what you were doing.'

Ninth Circuit Assistant Solicitor Debbie Herring-Lash, who prosecutes child sex crimes, said it is difficult to track how often incidents of women getting involved with teenagers occurs locally, largely because boys are much less likely to report the conduct.

Bradley was described as a neighborhood friend of the boy's family. According to courtroom statements, she sneaked the boy into her residence, where she exposed him to a variety of sexual materials, including videos.  The relationship began in the spring of 2009. Authorities later seized computers containing pornographic images.  In court Friday, the teenage victim told Young he is trying to overcome lingering emotional problems from his association with Bradley, including withdrawal and anguish.

'She actually made me withdraw from my friends,' he said.

The case was investigated across several jurisdictions, including the North Charleston and Hanahan police departments, and the state attorney general's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Assistant Attorney General Priscilla Jones said the office made a legal decision not to pursue the case beyond Friday's five-count guilty plea.  Separately, the teen also is trying to gain custody of his 13-month-old daughter. She is in foster care through the Department of Social Services, his family said.  When Bradley is released from prison she will have to register as a sexual offender. Her prison sentence begins immediately."
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I handled several matters that were in my opinion far more egregious than this case.  Something about the relative ages of the defendant and victim give me pause. 

When you think about child sex abuse, it's pretty easy to understand the long term harm.  This is a case about the long term harm.