In the criminal justice system, sex offenses carry some of the harshest penalties. You need to contact a criminal defense attorney the second you discover you are facing a sex offense if you care about your future.
You are likely feeling confused and don’t know what steps you should take to safeguard yourself from these allegations. If you wish to reduce the damage, the most important step you can take is exercising your right to remain silent and get competent legal representation. These steps offer no guarantee that you won’t get a conviction, but they reduce the damage you will face in the coming weeks and months.
Possible Fallout
The fallout you can face depends on your state and the charges you are facing. Sex offenses range from misdemeanor to felony charges and carry punishments from a few months to many years behind bars. The initial punishment handed out by the court is only one part of the puzzle you need to consider.
No matter where you live or what sex charge you are facing, you will have to register as a sex offender if convicted. Being a sex offender restricts where you can live and work, and your name and picture will be on the national sex offender registry. The court could force you to put signs in your yard warning others that you have committed a sex crime.
Possible Defenses
The good news is that you can use many defenses to protect yourself from a sex crime conviction. If the other person was of legal age at the time of the alleged incident, you could argue that the sexual contact was consensual. You could even argue that you were not with the victim at the time of the reported incident. Depending on the charges you are facing and the evidence the state will try using, you can argue that the contact was not sexual.
How a Lawyer Builds Your Case
No matter what defense you think you should use, never try defending or explaining yourself to investigators. Police are trained to get you to talk and say things that they can use to convict you at trial. Your criminal defense attorney can review the facts and help you decide how to move forward, increasing your shot at a fair outcome. Your attorney can try speaking with the prosecutor to reduce the charges and decrease the fallout you could face. Your criminal defense attorney is ready to take your fight to court if you don’t like the plea deal offered by the state.
Final Thoughts
Facing sex crime accusations can ruin your future and harm your reputation even if you are never convicted. The things you say and do following the accusation can follow you for the rest of your life, and contacting a reliable criminal defense attorney is the only safe way to protect yourself and control the damage. Your lawyer will work hard to find holes in the state’s case and to get you the best outcome possible.
Your life is on the line when facing these serious charges, so you don’t want to move forward alone. Trying to handle the case alone is one of the worst mistakes anyone could make. If you are serious about minimizing the damage and improving your odds of getting a fair outcome, speak with a defense attorney the first chance you get.