Sex crime, more than any other crime, with the possible exception of murder. In addition to spending time in violent prisons where sex offenders are outcasts, convicted sex offenders often have to register with local authorities. Also, in many cases, neighbors can access this information via the Internet, making it almost impossible to live or work in the area.
Picking up the pieces
Life in prison and beyond is rarely easy for convicted sex offenders. Across the country, states are enacting much stricter sentencing laws for any crime that has a sexual element. Even after the prisoner has supposedly paid his debt to society and been released from confinement, the convicted person is often required to register with the local police or sheriff’s department within 48 hours of reinstatement.
Marked men
In most cases, the offender must provide the authorities with the current address and place of work, if any, and recent photographs and fingerprints. The public can access all of this information in popular online databases, including a picture and description of the crime he was convicted of.
The state may also place restrictions on certain sex offenders who can live and work. Persons convicted of crimes against minors may not reside within 1,000 feet of a school, park, playground, or other place frequented by children. These same offenders are prohibited from volunteering at any school, park, playground, or office where children are regularly present.
Fight the accusations
The discussion aims not to show that the legal system is too harsh on sex offenders but rather to encourage anyone who has been charged with one of these crimes to contact a criminal defense lawyer. The authorities take sexual allegations very seriously. A person convicted of one will have to live the rest of his life with severe restrictions.
Possible protection
Your Schaffer Carter Kennedy & Mays criminal defense lawyer will do everything possible to protect your legal rights. To establish legitimate legal protection, the team must know your case’s details. Based on this information, they can use one of the following security strategies:
- Innocence: If you are completely innocent of the charges against you, your lawyer may try to establish an alibi and rebut the evidence against you.
- Consent: When two adults are involved in an alleged sexual offense, the defendant may confess to having an intimate relationship with his accuser but claim that the sex was consensual.
- Mental incapacity: If you have a mental illness or defect, it can be argued that you should not be held for the charges brought against you.