Hopewell Sex Crimes Lawyer
Being labeled as a sex offender can have a disastrous impact on an individual’s life. It can affect job opportunities, housing, put constraints on freedom, and can hurt family members. Every sex crime involves sensitive and private information that individuals do not want to be presented to the public and there is also a horrible stigma attached to anyone that is charged or convicted of a sex crime.
For this reason, having the support of a Hopewell sex crimes lawyer is crucial in these circumstances. Facing sex crimes charges in Hopewell can be intimidating and frustrating, but a defense lawyer in Hopewell can serve as a guide through the legal process and can fight for a person’s rights and freedom.
Types of Offenses
There are a variety of sex crimes with which an individual can be charged in Hopewell. Sex crimes generally involve a sexual act with an individual who has either not given consent or who is not capable of doing so. Common examples of sex crimes include rape, statutory rape, sexual battery, and aggravated sexual battery. Within these charges, factual differences between individual acts change the specific in the crime is charged and makes it difficult to state which sex crime is most common.
In Hopewell, rape carries a penalty of incarceration of five years to life. An individual convicted of statutory rape may face up to five years of incarceration. Sexual battery is a Class One misdemeanor that involves a penalty of up to 12 months in jail. The penalty for aggravated sexual battery is up to 20 years in jail and up to $100,000 in fines making it imperative a sex crimes lawyer in Hopewell is contacted.
Unique Aspects of Sexual Offenses
Sex crime investigations are normally thorough and meticulous. Such investigations involve sensitive information and testimony and, when such cases go to trial, they tend to rely more heavily on testimony.
Sex crimes are very serious in nature and, sometimes, there is very little physical evidence. Convictions can be based completely on testimonial evidence, which is atypical in serious felony criminal investigations or prosecutions. Without physical evidence, it is important to have a Hopewell sex crimes lawyer that understands how to question and cross-examine witnesses. It is also important to have an attorney who understands the individual facts of the case in order to ensure the best defense possible.
How a Sex Crimes Lawyer in Hopewell Can Help
An experienced lawyer will be able to prepare a defense specifically tailored to the individual facts and circumstances of the case. In so doing, an experienced sex crimes lawyer in Hopewell is best situated to understand the elements necessary to assert innocence in the alleged offense.
Sexual offenses are complicated crimes with a lot of legal nuances and factual details through which a defense team must sift. An experienced attorney is necessary to navigate these nuances and details to find the information that will have significant impacts on an individual’s case.
Building a Defense
By their very nature, sex cases are shocking and sometimes violent. However, in spite of this, the defense must be delicate and meticulous. When an individual is charged with a sexual offense, the public perception of that individual is that of guilt, even before a single hearing has taken place. Because of this, it is important for any individual who has been charged with a sex crime to have an attorney with whom he or she is comfortable. A comfortable relationship can help the charged individual to build rapport with his or her Hopewell sex crimes attorney and to trust his or her attorney not to make judgments about that individual based upon the circumstances of the alleged crime. Trust is essential to a client-attorney relationship as it is the only way to ensure a proper and successful defense.
