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Vienna Sex Crimes Laywer

Due to the nature of these offenses and that fact that most are considered felonies under Virginia law, sex crimes can often have harsher penalties than many other types of offenses. They are considered to be among the worst crimes by the general population and by the court system. Furthermore, a victim’s testimony, especially one who is able to speak about what happened to them in specific detail and gain sympathy from a judge or a jury, often makes the penalty for sex crimes in Vienna much worse than for other crimes.

With these things in mind, if you are convicted of a sex crime, you can face a serious fine, incarceration in a prison, rather than time in jail, and/or registration on the sex offender’s state registry.  A sex crimes conviction is also going to bar you from certain employment, housing, and freedom to travel in the future in addition to having potentially serious immigration consequences making it imperative that a Vienna sex crimes lawyer is consulted with as soon as possible.

A criminal lawyer in Vienna can assist the defendant to keep the press at bay, minimize the information exposure, and can work with law enforcement officers to keep contact with the person’s community to a minimum and help facilitate conversations without causing undue exposure or embarrassment.

Types of Offenses

In Vienna, there are many sex crimes that a person can be charged with. The most commonly prosecuted sex crimes in Vienna are rape, sexual battery, child pornography, object sexual penetration, and carnal knowledge of a minor. However, there are many more, including sex abuse involving children or sex crimes involving students, that people can be charged with.

Some common felony sex crimes that warrant immediate attention from a sex crimes attorney in Vienna are rape, statutory rape, date rape, child pornography distribution, production, and possession, or anything that has to do with object sexual penetration, and sexual offenses involving violence.

Unique Aspects of Sex Crimes Cases

There are a lot of things that are unique about sex crimes cases that make it especially intimidating for those being charged. For one, sex crimes tend to have a huge social stigma attached to them that may not exist as strongly for other types of offenses. Many times when friends, family, neighbors, or members of the community hear that someone was charged with a sex crime, they immediately think of the worst-case scenario, which can ultimately affect their relationship with the person charged.

Another thing that makes sex crimes different from other types of crimes and makes contacting a Vienna sex crimes lawyer so important is the fact that those convicted may have to register as a sex offender. This means that the conviction could follow the individual for the rest of their lives and potentially prevent them from getting jobs in some fields, living in certain places, and from coming within specified distances of schools or other public spaces.

The third things that makes sex crimes tough on those accused is the nature of the offense which often involves personal or intimate details that could become public knowledge through the course of the case. Court proceedings are public, so except in very exceptional circumstances, there will be other people present during your trial. For some people, it is intimidating to hear intimate or private details come out in court, to hear the evidence against them, or to discuss those things with other people.

Investigation

The investigation into a sex crimes case is different from other cases because there is more sensitive information that is directly related to the charge. Additionally, the accusation or the evidence against an individual comes from a victim or a witness, who is referred to as the complaining victim or complaining witness.

Usually, this individual’s statements or statements about what happened to this individual form the bulk of the initial investigation. That makes sex crimes cases a little different than other cases because there is an actual victim and their perspective during the investigation is often going to help the police determine whether or not to make an arrest.

Role of an Attorney

At the very beginning before a court case even takes place, a Vienna sex crime attorney’s job is to find out exactly what evidence is available against the defendant in order to begin building a defense. This may include speaking with the victim, if there is a live victim, investigating the relationship between the defendant and anyone that is accusing them, determining if there are any biases from law enforcement, and ascertaining the validity of DNA or other physical evidence that has been recovered. For example, if it is a crime involving a rape kit, the attorney would research the results of the rape kit.

After a thorough investigation is complete, an attorney’s job is to be a strong advocate for their client. If there is evidence that can be used to persuade the prosecutor that the defendant is innocent, or that there is insufficient evidence to move forward, the attorney will make an effort to have the case dismissed. One of the most important tasks in a sex crimes defense is finding out any motivation or evidence of fabrication of the allegation to cast doubt in the prosecutor’s case. Having an attorney that can find the weaknesses in the case and that can be aggressive, even when someone is being portrayed as a victim, is important in creating a robust defense.

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