Preview: Teen sex laws under microscope

AUSTIN (KXAN) - On KXAN Austin News Tuesday at 10 p.m., Reporter Jim Swift delves into efforts to modify teen sex laws. Jean Ponzanelli's crime when he was 17 years old was having consensual sex with a 13-year-old girl-- a 13-year-old girl who he said told him she was 15 years old.

"These are kids and they're, you know, they're doing kid stuff, and it goes on all the time," said Forensic Psychiatrist Dr. George Parker. "And they were unfortunate enough to get caught."

Parker treats sex offenders and objects to the way such cases are handled, especially a requirement that those convicted be listed on the state's sex offender registry.

"Unfortunately, most people have been led to believe that every single person on the sex offender registry is a dangerous criminal," said Mary Sue Molar, a reform advocate. "Normally, they don't realize that that's not true until it happens to someone they love. That's when their eyes open and they say, 'Wait a minute. Yes, he broke the law. No, he's not dangerous.'"

Molar heads an organization called Texas Voices, a group dedicated to reforming the state's teen sex laws. You can get more on this story at KXAN Austin News at 10 p.m.