Have you been charged with a Sex Crime? If so, there are certain steps you are going to want to follow, including hiring an Indiana sex crime defense lawyer.
When we think of “Sex Offenses” or “Sex Crimes” we often think of things such as Rape or Child Molest. However, there are several other types of sex crimes in the State of Indiana. An example of some of these crimes include: Rape, Child Molesting, Vicarious Sexual Gratification; sexual conduct in presence of a minor, Child solicitation, Child seduction, sexual battery, sexual misconduct with a minor, unlawful employment near children, sex offender internet offenses, inappropriate communication with a child, unlawful entry of school property by a serious sex offender, sex offender registry crimes, public indecency, public nudity, prostitution, patronizing a prostitute, promoting prostitution, voyeurism, public voyeurism, . So as you can see there are various sex crimes that one can be charged with.
Within each and every one of these Indiana sex crimes, are variations, which can lead to various penalties, and level of offenses. Some examples of the various elements, and penalties for the crimes are seen below.
Rape
In Indiana, a person commits Rape when they knowingly or intentionally has sexual intercourse with another person or knowingly or intentionally causes another person to perform or submit to other sexual conduct when: (1) the other person is compelled by force or imminent threat of force; (2) the other person is unaware that the sexual intercourse or other sexual conduct) is occurring; or (3) the other person is so mentally disabled or deficient that consent to sexual intercourse or other sexual conduct cannot be given. See IC 35-42-4-1. When this is done, an individual commits rape, a Level 3 Felony. However, this offense can be charged from as a Level 1 felony if certain things occur. Things that could occur that could raise it to a Level 1 Felony include if: the offense is committed by using or threatening deadly force; (2) the offense is committed while the individual is armed with a deadly weapon (3) the actions and offense results in what is considered serious bodily injury to a person; or (4) the commission of the offense is done in party by providing the victim, without the victim’s knowledge. Obviously there are a lot of elements there, and a lot of things that need to be proven to be found guilty of these offenses. It is important that you have a highly trained Indiana criminal defense attorney on your side when dealing with this kind of offense.
This is just one example of one sex offense, and is probably the one we all know the most about. However, there are elements to each and every offense listed above, all of which requires various things be proven before you can be found guilty for one of these offenses. Certain sex crimes require registration on a sex offender registry. Sure, things like felony or misdemeanor convictions are things that will follow you for the rest of your life. However, none of those things can match the effect that registration on a sex offender registry can have on an individual’s life. The following are examples of some of the offenses that may require one to be labeled as a “Sex Offender” and subsequently require registration: Rape, Criminal deviate conduct (before its repeal), child molesting, child exploitation, vicarious sexual gratification, child solicitation, child seduction, sexual misconduct with a minor, incest, sexual battery kidnapping, criminal confinement, possession of child pornography, promoting prostitution, promotion of human trafficking, promotion of human trafficking of a minor, sexual trafficking of a minor, sexual misconduct by a service provider with a detained or supervised child, various attempts to commit various sexual offenses in this list. It is important to note that this is in no way an exhaustive list. If you want to discuss this more, then please set up a consultation with one of our attorneys. They are trained to deal with these issues, and have faced various issues surrounding sex crimes. Sex crimes is a particular field, that requires specific knowledge in order to adequately represent the rights of a criminal defendant, charged with an Indiana sex offense or sex crime. We believe is important that you have a highly trained Indiana Criminal Defense Attorney on your side when dealing with these type of offenses.