Juvenile Justice
MySpace Postings Charged in Juvenile Court
By Scott Wasserman
Apr 19, 2007, 10:26

Two recent cases dragged postings from MySpace into Juvenile Court. In one instance, an Indiana Court of Appeals reversed the juvenile conviction of a teen who posted comments on MySpace. Her comments criticized her school principal's policy on body piercings.

The teen had created a web page under her principal's identity on MySpace. She cussed out her principal in saying that he could not control her anymore. She said that she would wear her body piercings anyway.

Her principal found the entry on MySpace and reported her to the police. The juvenile court convicted her of harassment, identity deception and identity theft. The Court of Appeals reversed the judgment, saying that the juvenile court had violated her right to free speech.

In a second case, on Wednesday students in Hartselle, Alabama left their high school after authorities discovered a post on MySpace threatening a mass homicide there. That student has been charged in juvenile court with making a terrorist threat.