Working With a Richmond Sex Crimes Lawyer
Sex offenses are heavily stigmatized in society and could result in severe consequences for individuals who are convicted. Consequences include mandatory registration on the sex offender registry, which can, in turn, affect an individual’s access to housing. That is why it is important for individuals who have been charged to consider working with a Richmond sex crimes lawyer. The role of an attorney when dealing with a sex crimes offense is in some ways like a counselor. An experienced sex crimes lawyer could talk to the individual and explain things to them. Sexual crimes, in their very nature, are not as cut and dry as a petty larceny, a possession of marijuana, or other criminal offenses. If a person has been charged with a sexual offense, they should work with an experienced legal advocate and rest assured that they are in capable hands.
Qualities to Look for in a Lawyer
When an individual is dealing with these types of cases, working with a Richmond sex crimes lawyer who is able to essentially act as a scale and play a balancing act of the sensitive nature and materials is a necessity. An individual would not want an attorney who is inexperienced or is gung-ho about the information that could put someone in a situation where too much sensitive information can get out or, in the reverse, not enough sensitive information can be shared with the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office.
In certain situations, it would be better not to get that information out there, because it ultimately will harm the charged individual. In other situations, it is important to get to the point of certain things. Look at the state of the United States right now where all of these different kinds of allegations of sexual assault and rape are popping up and different people are choosing to tell their story or have their attorneys advise them on how to respond to certain allegations that some people are trying to getting in front of. Other people are kind of holding back and waiting to see what happens. All of that is information that an individual and their experienced attorney need to discuss to decide what is going to be the best for the individual going forward with their particular set of facts and circumstances.
Benefits of Working With an Attorney
The first benefit of working with a Richmond sex crimes lawyer would be some form of peace of mind. Whenever an individual is charged with a sexual offense, it is going to be a very stressful time, no matter what. Facing these charges without an attorney, not knowing what will happen next, not knowing what the complainant or witnesses will say or what evidence the prosecution has, will drive anyone crazy and actually end up hurting them. Having that peace of mind in knowing that an individual has an attorney by their side, that they are working with the individual to help them through the court process would be the first thing.
The second thing is preparation for what is to come; what an individual should and should not do as far as preparing their defense. Whether they are in the pre-trial phase and have not actually been charged with anything; or they have been charged and need to determine the best plan going forward. All of that information can be ascertained by the charged individual from their lawyer. Preparation will be the next thing.
Peace of mind also comes from having an attorney with trial experience; somebody who is able to go into court with confidence because they have dealt with these kinds of cases before, knows the proper way to defend against these kinds of charges, and can put an individual in the best light to either be found not guilty or guilty of a lesser offense that will not completely destroy their life.
Penalties for Sex Crimes
A person can face anywhere from a fine on a Class 4 Misdemeanor for carnal knowledge of a minor if the charged individual is a minor and within three years of the alleged victim; the charged individual can receive up to mandatory life in prison for a violent rape of a minor by if the perpetrator is over the age of 18. Sexual offenses run the gamut anywhere from Class 4 Misdemeanors to Class 1 Misdemeanors; Class 4 Felonies all the way to Class U Felonies and mandatory life imprisonment. Working with a Richmond sex crimes lawyer could make a difference in the kind of penalties that an individual may face.
Value of Trust in Client-Attorney Relationships
With the stigma associated with a sexual crime or a sexual offense, working with a Richmond sex crimes lawyer that is trustworthy, is of the utmost importance. It is important that a person has an attorney who believes in them, because sex offenses, by their very nature, can be lewd and very shocking. A charged individual is going to need a lawyer that they can build some form of bond with and feel comfortable that the attorney is fighting for them, for their interests and for their interests alone; someone who is not going to be judgmental of them in the situation that they are in.
Hiring a Richmond Sex Crimes Attorney
No matter what the case may be, it is always important to hire an attorney as soon as possible because that gives the attorney more time to work on the case, especially with sex crimes because police officers, investigators and detectives are going to be very aggressive in trying to get an individual to come into the station to take a lie detector test, to give some kind of statement. Most individuals do not know their rights when it comes to those particular options and do not know what they can and cannot do, finding themselves in situations in an ultimate disadvantage.
A charged individual does not know how detectives work or how to handle themselves in these situations. If an individual calls a lawyer beforehand and they have a lawyer prepared to work with them, then they will never find themselves at a disadvantage. The defendant may be on a level playing field with the prosecution. The benefit of working with a Richmond sex crimes lawyer is that they could leverage their experience to achieve a positive outcome for an individual.
