Money, Murder, and Minor Offenses: How Massachusetts and California Spend Differently on Teen Sexual Assault
Hook A 17-year-old in Concord faces a five-year prison term and a $30,000 court fee, a penalty that dwarfs what a Californian teen would owe for the same crime. In Massachusetts, the law treats the offense as a felony, imposes mandatory minimums, and adds a state-run monitoring surcharge that