Manassas Sex Crimes Lawyer
Sexual offense are are treated so seriously in Virginia that even an accusation alone can have dire consequences for those accused. In many cases, just being alleged to have committed a sex crime can result in a damaged reputation and sometimes even lead to denied contact with the defendant’s own children and family pending the outcome of an investigation and trial. Due to this stigma and the fact that those accused are often treated as guilty parties even prior to a courtroom verdict, hiring a Manassas sex crimes lawyer is of vital importance in protecting the rights of the accused. Allegations of sexual abuse, rape, and other related offenses must be carefully handled by an experienced criminal attorney in Manassas adept at handling cases of such a sensitive nature.
Types of Sex Crimes
Sex crimes in Manassas are not defined by just one kind of crime as there are a number of different crimes that can be lumped into the ‘Sex Crime’ category. This includes everything from rape to sexual battery and everything in between, even sexting in some cases. In addition, sex crimes can also mean crimes involving minors such as child pornography charges or statutory rape charges. There are many different statutes and offenses that fall under the category of being a ‘sex crime’ and therefore warrant the attention of an experienced Manassas sex crime attorney.
Severity of Sex Crimes Charges
Sex crimes are extremely serious and are classified as felonies in almost every case in Virginia. If convicted the accused will almost always be facing prison time, which goes to show how seriously prosecutors, judges, and the community as a whole takes these type of charges.
In addition, sex crimes, almost uniformly, require that a person be registered as a sex offender if convicted, which can carry a lifetime requirement of being on the Sex Offender Registry and have a number of implications for employment and education amongst other things.
Penalties
Almost every sex crime is a felony in Virginia and that means prison time of at least one year. The more serious sex crimes can result in a term of imprisonment for the remainder of your natural life. The possibilities range greatly and it obviously depends on what crime or crimes a person is charged with to determine what sort of punishment may be available to the government if they successfully obtain a conviction.
Protecting Defendants’ Rights
Defendants accused of sex crimes in Manassas, Virginia generally appear before the Prince William General District Court, located at 9311 Lee Avenue. Finding a sex crimes lawyer in Manassas who is well-equipped to represent you is critical to your success. our office offers a free, confidential consultation to those accused of misdemeanors and felonies in Prince William County. Manassas sex crimes lawyers represent those accused of misdemeanor and felony sex offenses:
- Sexual Assault
- Rape
- Statutory Rape
- Forcible Sodomy
- Child Sexual Abuse
- Solicitation of a Minor
- Child Pornography
- Internet Sex Crimes
Hiring a Manassas Sex Crimes Lawyer
Someone should hire an experienced defense attorney the moment they realize they are under investigation for sex crimes in Manassas. This is extremely important, as the consequences for not obtaining good legal counsel could be severe. Additionally, the many pieces of evidence that may be used in a sex crimes case need to be preserved early on. There might be security video footage or there might be some other kind of evidence that must be preserved early on by the defense if they intend to try to use it down the line.
Additionally, hiring a sex crimes attorney in Manassas early on will assist you greatly in the bond process. An attorney will be able to file a bond motion early on and if you allow a public defender or court appointed counsel, someone who is not of your choosing, to file that bond motion then it might not be argued in the way that you think is best. So it’s important to get an attorney of your own choosing as early as possible.
Benefit of An Attorney
Sex crimes are almost always felonies and you will face prison time if you are being convicted. That alone should be enough to convince most people to hire a Manassas sex crimes attorney.
Additionally, most sex crime convictions would result in a requirement that the charged person participate in the Sex Offender Registry. That follows you for life and that is another very good reason to hire an attorney if you are charged with one of these crimes.
In addition, many sex crime prosecutions consist of complicated forensic evidence. Regardless of whether there is forensic evidence, there are going to be a lot of different kinds of evidence that will be presented and they all need to be challenged by an attorney who has the experience in dealing with these kinds of cases and that kind of evidence.