Bethesda Sex Crimes Lawyer 

Sex crimes include criminal acts that result in a sexual assault or have sexual motives, even if the act does not include sexual penetration. These crimes affect public safety and like most public safety issues, the prosecution prosecutes them aggressively.

Accordingly, sex crimes are serious offenses that necessitate representation by experienced attorneys that have successfully handled similar cases as the charge alone could be damaging. If you have been charged with a sex crime, contact an experienced Bethesda sex crimes lawyer, who can guide you through the criminal justice system. Call a qualified attorney today.

Categories of Sex Crimes

Like most criminal charges that are categorized by degree, the penalty associated with sex crimes vary based on the actual offense for which the accused is convicted.

  • First-degree rape – The offense is subject to a maximum penalty of imprisonment for life without the possibility of parole. The penalty is enhanced when the other party is a kidnapped minor. In some cases, there is a mandatory minimum sentence.
  • Second-degree rape – This charge can be punished with incarceration ranging from 20 years’ incarceration to imprisonment for life. This charge is also enhanced when the other party is a minor and the accused is an adult that is over the age of 18.
  • First-degree sexual offense – Sexual assault with this classification can be penalized with imprisonment for the remainder of the accused’s life. The penalties can be enhanced when the accused has a prior offense for another sexual crime and when the other party is a minor.
  • Second-degree sexual offense – This offense may be punished with up to 20 years’ imprisonment. The penalty can be enhanced to imprisonment for life if the other party is a minor and the accused is legally an adult.
  • Third-degree sexual offense – It can be punished with up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
  • Fourth-degree sexual offense – This offense is a misdemeanor offense, which is punishable by up to one-year incarceration for first-time offenses. Beyond the first offense, the penalty is enhanced to up to three years’ incarceration.

Attempts to commit any of the above crimes can be punished with the same penalties associated with successfully committing the crime.

How a Sex Crimes Attorney Can Help

Sexual crimes are unlike any other criminal offense. The penalties for some cases are more extensive than those that correspond to some murder charges. Thus, the charges require unique skill. Additionally, because a sexual violation is so serious, people instinctively want to believe that someone would not falsely make that allegation. When the other party in the case is a minor, the urge to instinctively believe them is stronger.

For these reasons, among many others, it is essential that a person, who has been charged with a sexual crime seek the services of an experienced sex crimes attorney in Bethesda.

Talk to a Bethesda Sex Crimes Lawyer Today

A Bethesda sex crimes lawyer will investigate the allegations that resulted in the accused being charged and evaluate the state’s case to determine the likelihood that it could result in a conviction.

An experienced sex crimes attorney is skilled at finding the motives for dishonesty, if one exists, is aware of the questions to ask in a trial that are least likely to alienate the fact-finder, and craft strong defenses. While that matters in all criminal cases, the proverbial stakes are higher in sex crimes cases.