Benefits of Hiring an Arlington Lawyer in Sex Crimes Cases

There are numerous sex crimes which a person can be charged with in Virginia. They are all spelled out in the Virginia Code and have been developed over numerous years to try to encompass all types of criminal behavior involving sex offenses. Regardless of the specific crime, sex crimes are treated seriously in Virginia, and any person charged with a sex crime in Arlington should consider consulting with a local sex crimes lawyer to help them address their charges.

One of the most commonly charged sex offenses is rape. Rape occurs when the defendant has sexual intercourse with another person against that person’s will and without their consent by force threat or intimidation, or with a person whom is unable to consent. There are also other types of sex crimes, including forcible sodomy. This is also commonly charged and occurs when a defendant has penetrated the sexual organ of another person against that person’s will and by force, threat, or intimidation.

Benefits of Having an Attorney When Facing Sex Crimes Charges

Having an attorney when facing sex crime charges is crucially important. That is because an attorney can help guide their client in the right direction to make sure that they have the utmost success at trial, or if not a trial, in minimizing their sentence after a plea. A defense attorney has handled sex cases before and will advise an individual every step of the way with the ultimate eye to giving them the best outcome in court. In sum, knowledge of the laws, experience in previous cases which have ruled on issues that may arise in an individual’s case, and being able to advise them on how to deal with police and with the victim of the alleged offense, are all areas in which a defense attorney can give beneficial advise.

Mitigating Penalties For a Sex Crime Conviction

Penalties for sex crimes in Arlington can range from probation to life imprisonment. The penalties for sex crimes vary greatly. However, most sex crimes are felonies and felonies are always punishable in Virginia by at least up to five years in prison and potentially up to life in prison. Because there are so many different sex crimes, it would depend on a case-by-case basis what the punishments are. However, there are very serious punishments for almost every sex crime in Virginia and most have mandatory sentences of some amount in jail or prison if a person is convicted.

The penalties associated with sex crimes are very serious, especially when they are paired with threat of violence. Prosecutors are unlikely to go easy on a person facing these charges. A defense lawyer’s purpose is to fight the state and make sure that their zealous prosecution doesn’t lead to over-severe penalties for a person.

Importance of Hiring an Attorney Early

Hiring an attorney early on in the process can only help an individual in the long run to get the best possible outcome in court. One benefit of hiring an attorney is that they will have handled cases like this in the past and is aware of the investigative techniques the police use. A lawyer can advise an individual on how to deal with police as they are pending charges or even as they are pending trial. The attorney can also advise the individual on things they can do while awaiting trial to put themselves in a better position, and they can advise the individual on what kind of evidence is relevant and help gather that evidence. The attorney can advise a person on what statement, if any, to make to the court, the police or the victim.  Having an attorney there every step of the way, someone who knows what the court is trying to do and how to best protect an individual’s interest, is crucially important.