West Palm Beach Criminal Defense Lawyers for Sexual Charges
Society and our legal system consider sex offenses to be among the most horrific; therefore, sex cases are rigorously prosecuted and can carry some of the most severe penalties. If convicted of a sex crime, not only does an individual have to serve an extraordinary high sentence term, but he/she must also register as a sex offender with the local police agency for the rest of his/her life. Worse still, if the crime alleged involves a minor, the accused can face involuntary civil commitment after any sentence is complete.
Sexually related charges can irrevocably adversely affect the accused’s reputation, job, relationships, and social status. Having effective legal counsel to guide you through the process from the beginning can greatly impact the outcome of your sex-related criminal case.
Some of the types of Sexual Offense cases that our firm handles includes, but is not limited to:
- Child Abuse
Child abuse involves the intentional infliction of physical or mental injury upon a child, an intentional act that could reasonably be expected to result in physical or mental injury to a child, or active encouragement of any person to commit an act that results in, or could reasonably be expected to result in, physical or mental injury to a child. - Possession of Obscene Materials (Internet Pornography)
Possession of obscene materials often refers to the possession or distribution of child pornography over the internet. Materials can be distributed or reside on ones hard drive, back-up disk, flash drive, etc. - Lewd & Lascivious (Battery, Conduct / Exhibition / Molestation)
The words “lewd” and “lascivious”� mean the same thing and mean a wicked, lustful, unchaste, licentious, or sensual intent on the part of the person doing an act. Lewd and lascivious offenses include battery (engaging in sexual activity with a child 12 years of age or older, but younger than the age of 16 and also forcing, encouraging or enticing a child under the age of 16 to engage in sexual activity), conduct (touching of a child under the age of 16 or forcing or enticing a child under the age of 16 to commit a lewd or lascivious act), exhibition (when a person masturbates, exposes his/her genitals in a lewd and lascivious manner, or engages in any other sexual act that doesn’t involve any contact with the victim who is under the age of 16) or molestation (touching of a child under the age of 16 or forcing or enticing a child under the age of 16 to lewdly and lasciviously touch the perpetrator). The degree of offense and potential punishment varies depending on the age of the individuals involved. - Sexual Battery Related Offenses
Sexual battery is non-consensual oral, anal or vaginal penetration by, or union with the sexual organ of another, or penetration using an object. The term sexual battery encompasses such acts as rape and sodomy. - Sex Offender Violations
Registered sex offenders must abide to the standards of their probation, as well as their statutory duties to register with local authorities. Probation violations can include, but are not limited to missed appointments with probation officers, curfew violations, having contact with the victim, viewing, owning or possessing or having access to obscene, pornographic or sexual materials, committing any new law violations, testing positive for drugs, and failing to pay costs of supervision.