Steubenville Teen Convicted of Rape Released from Juvenile Detention Center

Steubenville, Ohio – The family of 16-year-old Ma’lik Richmond issued a statement on Monday affirming that their son had completed his designated period of time at the city’s juvenile detention center and was subsequently released. Richmond’s sentence was for 12 months, but the judge allowed his time served prior to the conviction to count towards that figure.

In the statement, his family stated that their son has grown and is a better person now. They said that he is looking forward to devoting himself to his education. The statement made no mention of his victim which omission was criticized by Bob Fitzsimmons, her attorney. He says the victim has emotional wounds that will last a lifetime and the statement should have said something conciliatory towards her.

However, the problems for Ma’lik are only now beginning. As a result of his conviction, he will be required to register as a sex offender for the next 20 years and report to a probation officer on a semi-annual basis. He is designated a type II offender. The sex offender registration process has been criticized by legal rights groups as ex post facto due to the onerous restrictions it can have on employment, residency, and interpersonal relationships which last long after a person has “paid” their debt to society.

On The Web:
Teen convicted in Steubenville rape released
http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/06/justice/ohio-steubenville-rape-case/index.html