Atlanta Sex Crimes Lawyer

Being accused of any crime is a frightening, life-changing experience. Sex crime allegations can follow you throughout your life, even if the charges do not result in a conviction. That is why you need a hard-working criminal defense attorney who could defend you against those charges, minimize their impact on your life, and work to achieve the best possible outcome.

The punishment for sex offenders depends on the nature of the crime, the age and status of the victim, and the defendant’s criminal history. However, even if a defendant is not facing substantial jail time, a sex crime conviction can still have a lifelong impact. Defendants may have to sign up for sex offender registries and have difficulty obtaining work and navigating custody decisions. This type of conviction could also give rise to civil liability. The potential outcomes are too severe to handle these charges on your own. As soon as you believe you are a suspect, contact an Atlanta sex crimes lawyer.

Sex Crimes and Consent

While sex crimes are similar to other crimes in many ways, they have substantial differences, as well. While few people routinely consent to other assaults or murders, people consent to sex every day. In some sex crime allegations, the defendant and complaining witness disagree about whether there was consent.

While consent may seem like a black-and-white issue, there are actually substantial gray areas. In an ideal world, people might not ever have sex without an enthusiastic yes from their partners, perhaps backed up by something in writing and blood tests to ensure that the partner was not legally intoxicated at the time they said yes. In the real world, sex can be very messy. Both parties could be intoxicated. One person may not really want to have sex, but not share that information with the other. Someone may regret consenting to sex the next day. In many of these situations, the two people will agree about whether the act was consensual.

It is vital to prevent people from sexual assaults. These attacks can have a lifelong impact on victims. However, it is equally essential to protect people from erroneous allegations of sexual assault. Miscommunication is not the same as criminal intent. Having an attorney in Atlanta who handles sex crimes present during question could help ensure that a defendant does not mistakenly confess to sexual assault when they sincerely believe they were having consensual sex.

Types of Sex Crimes

Of course, not every sex crime is a sexual assault. Instead, for a crime to be a sex crime, it should have a sexual basis and an identifiable victim. The following crimes all contain a victim, even if the offender does not have direct contact with that victim:

• Rape
• Sodomy
• Molestation
• Statutory rape
• Sexual assault
• Sexual battery
• Indecent exposure
• Soliciting a minor
• Indecent exposure
• Child pornography

That makes sex crimes different from sexual crimes like prostitution. While prostitution is a crime that involves sex, and while many sex workers are victims of human trafficking, the crime does not require a victim. The only sex crimes that do not have to do with specific victims have to do with failure to comply with sex offender registries.

Our lawyers in Atlanta have different strategies they could use to help defend people against sexual assault allegations. Remember, the state has the burden of proving every element of the crime. They have to go beyond proving that sexual contact occurred — they must prove the illegal contact of that nature. A defense attorney often runs their own investigations to find out additional details, uncover other witnesses, and get more evidence in the case.

Consult a Sex Crimes Attorney in Atlanta

When you are a suspect in a sex crimes case, get legal help as soon as possible. You should never participate in a police interview without having an attorney present. The best way to protect yourself is to hire an Atlanta sex crimes lawyer. Depending on the evidence against you, the attorney can help you develop a defense strategy that is likely to result in the best outcome. Schedule a consultation to learn more.