Sex Crime Charges – Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Accusations of sexual crimes are perceived in a very different light when compared to other kinds of criminal cases. Unfortunately, the jury of a sex crime case also sometimes happens to be subconsciously prejudiced against the accused, which means that defending a person accused of sexual crime is a different challenge altogether.

It takes tremendous amount of skill and tactical expertise to break the stereotypical image created by the accusation, and to rebuild the image of an innocent person. So, it really would not be incorrect to say that people accused in sex crimes are considered guilty until proven innocent although the law does state that anybody accused of any crime is innocent until proven guilty.

What makes sex crime cases different?

Essentially, sex crimes elicit tremendous amount of condemnation and fury when compared to any other crime. The accused suddenly becomes a “monster” who is not eligible to enjoy basic human rights and constitutional freedom. The stigma attached to these offenses makes sex crime cases different from any other case.

The worst part about sex crimes is that the accused is automatically considered an offender and is usually not given the benefit of doubt. People begin to falsely accuse the accused of doing more than what really happened. The family of the accused also undergoes a lot of trauma.

Unfortunately, the prejudice attached to sex crimes tends to influence testimonies. Witnesses sometimes exaggerate the matter when questioned in court. Such biased testimonies and statements by witnesses complicate matters even further and could lead to devastating results.

Type of sex crimes and their influence on the case

While talking about the prejudice related to sex crimes, it is important to mention that the type of sex crime also influences the bias. Sex crimes are of different types such as sexual assault, sexual abuse, solicitation, rape, sexual abuse or solicitation through the Internet, child sexual abuse, child pornography, sexual battery, criminal sexual abuse, pandering, indecent exposure, prostitution, trafficking for sexual purposes, and many others.

If the accused is found guilty, the punishment given by the court varies depending on the type and extremity of the crime. For instance, murder after or during sexual assault is the most serious type of sexual offense. People who are accused of sexual crimes related to children suffer the most bias. They almost always are subjected to abuse and unfair behaviour before being convicted of the crime.

How does a lawyer handle a person sued with a sex crime charge?

An expert criminal lawyer in Chicago, IL deals with a sex crime charge based on thorough investigation and background research. The reasons that instigated the crime, behavior of the victim, provocation and several other factors need to be established beyond doubt in the court. Evidences at the site of crime need to be considered in depth and analyzed. For instance, if the crime was committed in a hotel room, did anybody hear the victim’s screams? Such matters make all the difference for the accused being proven innocent or guilty.

Despite the presence of legal procedures and law, you cannot deny that people accused in sexual crimes do suffer bias. To break this bias and prove that the accused is innocent requires tremendous skills and legal expertise.

Acosta Law Group has the expertise and skills to prove you innocent in a sex crime case. If you have been caught up in such a case, get in touch with us without procrastination.