Sex crimes are a serious offense. A significant penalty associated with most sex crime conditions is registration as a sex offender. This penalty can be imposed for life, restricting your access to housing and renting options. Those who are registered sex offenders cannot live or go near a school or playground, whether the offense involved children or not. If you’re accused of a sex crime, you may also face major jail or prison time that will affect your job and your entire life. After conviction, professional licenses can be unobtainable or taken away completely. A person charged with a sex crime will also face negative responses from peers, resulting in a less-than-ideal reputation.
A sex crime is a sex act that is considered deviant, the exchange of sexual activity for money, for a forced and non-consensual sexual act. Here are eight acts that may be regarded as sexual offenses and result in incarceration.
Rape
While most states may vary their definition when it comes to this sexual offense, rape is typically defined as forced or non-consensual sexual intercourse. There are a few different types of rape with different consequences and levels of severity. All types of rape should be taken seriously.
Understanding Sex Offenses and Different Types of Sex Crimes
Statutory Rape: Statutory rape occurs when a person engaged in sexual activity with a minor. The definition of statutory rape varies from state to state since some states consider different ages the legal age to consent for sexual intercourse.
Spousal Rape: At one point, spousal rape didn’t exist as intercourse was considered a right among married people. Now, as America’s values evolve, spousal rape is a serious charge that is defined as the act of sexual intercourse without the consent of the spouse. While many people think violence is involved, it isn’t always. When there is no consent among spouses, it is considered spousal rape, and you can be prosecuted.
Date Rape: Date rape is more of a broad term for when someone is raped in some sort of dating situation. This doesn’t mean that a person has to have gone on a date with their accuser, as many date rape cases involve alcohol and parties. Date rape is a serious offense that is often difficult to defend, as it does typically involve alcohol and sometimes lacks concrete evidence.
Sexual Abuse
Again, the legal definition may vary from state to state, but sexual abuse can be described as any form of non-consensual contact of a sexual nature. This includes inappropriate touching, molestation, and forced sexual intercourse. Whether you’re charged with rape or sexual abuse will be up to the prosecutor, so if you are accused of forced intercourse, you can also face the charges for rape. Molestation is similar to rape in that it is non-consensual, but may involve inappropriate touching rather than penetration.
Sexual Battery
Battery itself is defined as unlawful physical contact. Sexual battery is when unlawful physical contact is sexual in nature. In many states, sexual battery does not involve penetration and is considered a less serious offense. Some examples of sexual battery are, patting a person’s buttocks, grabbing or fondling another person, touching of the genital area, etc.
Indecent Exposure
Indecent exposure happens when a person intentionally exposes themselves in public. Every jurisdiction will have different names and definitions for this, although most people know it as indecent exposure. It is illegal to expose one’s genitals in public, and this even goes for public urination. If you are urinating outside of designation restroom and bathroom areas, you can be charged with indecent exposure and face sex offender registration.
Child Molestation
This act is a sex offense that involves a range of indecent sexual conduct involving a child. Child molestation typically involves an adult and a child under 14 years of age, though interpretations of the definition may differ from state to state. This is different from statutory rape, as the child is younger than 14 years of age, and in many places, it is considered a more serious offense with harsher penalties.
Child Pornography
It is illegal to possess, produce, or distribute any form of pornographic material that depicts children or minors under the age of 18. Any form of child pornography is illegal because the children depicted cannot legally consent to the acts recorded. Even if you are not the one who created the pornography, it is illegal to have it in any capacity because you are contributing to the crime. You can face either state or federal charges for child pornography, depending on the specific details of the crime.
Internet Sex Crimes
In this day and age, more and more crimes are involved using the internet and computers. Sex crimes can also take place on the internet and include child pornography, luring a minor, and committing other sexual offenses over the internet. The Internet makes things like child pornography more readily available, along with the easy availability to chat rooms used to lure a minor.
Prostitution
In most of the US, exchanging sexual acts for money is illegal. There are a few different offenses that are under the prostitution umbrella, including:
Pandering: This is the act of procuring customers for a prostitute, also known as “pimping.” It is illegal to be involved in any aspect of prostitution.
Solicitation: Offering or Agreeing to the exchange of sex for money. It’s illegal to be both a customer/client and a prostitute. You cannot offer or accept money for sexual acts. Whether a person is a prostitute or customer, it’s illegal even to approach someone about paying for sexual acts.
Have you been accused of a sex crime? You need a quality criminal attorney. We defend each of our clients no matter what type of crime they have been accused of committing. You always have the right to an attorney and the right to defend yourself. Considering the severe penalties that go along with convictions of sex crimes, it is crucial to have a criminal defense attorney on your side that will fight for your rights. Check for sex crimes lawyers.
