Arkansas Age of Consent Lawyers
What is the Age of Consent in Arkansas?
In Arkansas, a person must be 16 or older in order to consent to sex. As long as both parties are over the age of 16, there are no age-related legal issues when it comes to consensual sex between them.
Like many other states, when one or both of the partners are under the age of consent, the law places more importance on the age difference between them.
In many cases, a person over 14 (but under 16) can consent to sex with a person who is no more than 3 years older.
If the offender is more than 20 years old, and the victim is under 16, the punishment is far harsher than it would be otherwise.
Homosexual Age of Consent in Arkansas
Arkansas has laws which make it illegal for persons of any age to engage in homosexual activity. However, the United States Supreme Court ruled in 2003 that such laws, as applied to consenting adults in private settings, are unconstitutional. Therefore, it is not clear what the age of consent for such activity is in Arkansas. It is possible that a state court will default to the age of consent for heterosexual conduct (16). However, because the state clearly frowns on homosexual conduct, it’s possible that they may try to limit it by imposing a higher age of consent, such as 18.
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Last Modified: 11-30-2009 10:26 AM PST
