Just like other states, Georgia takes sex crimes very seriously. As such, a person who is suddenly facing charges for one of those crimes needs a strong defense to prove their innocence. It’s important to know about these crimes and how they’re defined by law.
What are sex crimes?
Sex crimes are serious offenses that have a sexual nature. They include a wide array of crimes, but the one thing all of those crimes share in common is that violence is involved in the midst of a sex act that is against the consent of the victim. Rape is the most common sex crime, but there are many others such as incest, sexual assault, child molestation, child pornography, statutory rape and indecent exposure.
What does the law say about sex offenses?
Per the law, a sex crime is any type of offense involving sexual contact that is unwanted. When a person is charged and convicted of many of these offenses, they can face felony charges and serious penalties that include significant prison sentences and fines. Certain sex crimes are considered lesser and might be charged as misdemeanors depending on the facts surrounding them.
A sex crime is committed against a person without their consent, but consent can sometimes be complex. On one hand, if a married couple has a discussion about whether to have sex and one party says no while the other wants it and initiates a sex act with the other, it might be a gray area. If the unwilling spouse changes their mind, it doesn’t mean a sex offense has been committed. On the other hand, if a grown man asks a teenage girl who is a few years away from the age of consent to have sex and she agrees, this would be considered rape due to the girl being unable to give consent.
Some sex crimes can even be committed against the public. For example, if a man is out in a public park and exposes his genitals to a group of women, it would be considered the sex crime of indecent exposure. By law, if a person behaves in a sexual way that is inappropriate while in a public setting, it constitutes committing a sex offense. Another example is soliciting for sex in exchange for money, which is also known as prostitution.
Being falsely charged with a sex crime can be terrifying. If this happens to you, you must do everything to fight back and protect your rights and your freedom.