There is a social stigma to being charged with a sex crime. And while in some cases those charges are warranted, when it comes to teenagers who willing decide to engage in sexual acts, one has to wonder if it makes sense to treat them like hardened criminals just because they are underage.

An example of this is two Missouri teenagers who are currently facing very serious charges related to a party where it appears other teenagers willing decided to have sex. If convicted of these sex crimes charges, each teen could end up spending years in prison.

Looking at this case, one 17-year-old from Maryville, Missouri, is facing a felony charge of sexual exploitation of a minor, for using a cellphone to record two other teenagers -- a 14-year-old and a 17-year-old -- engaging in sexual acts.

In Missouri, a person is considered an adult at the age of 17. This means that if he is convicted, he could end up facing between five and 15 years in prison.

Another 17-year-old, who lived at the residence where the party took place, has also been charged with sexual assault. In that case, the 14-year-old girl he hooked up with has told authorities that the sex was consensual. However, he is still being charged anyway.

Aside from these two teenagers, there was also an alleged sexual incident between a 15-year-old boy and a teen girl under the age of 15. Since they are both minors, the case has been turned over to juvenile authorities.

In general, when looking at this case, one has to wonder if charging these teenagers with such serious sex crimes offenses is really necessary. What do you think? Are these really teens who should be treated like hardened criminals for deciding to have sex? Or are these charges being used outside of their intended purpose?

Source: Maryville Daily Forum, "New suspect charged in teen sex case," Tony Brown, Jan. 18, 2012