According to Attorney Sandra J. Oballe of the Law Office of Sandra J. Oballe, sex crimes are often criminalized immensely in the courtroom leading to the presumption of guilt as opposed to our time-honored standard of the presumption of innocence.
Social Stigmas Make It To Court
Especially For Sexual Assault Defendants
There’s a social stigma associated with any person accused of a committing a sex crime including, but not limited to, prostitution, statutory rape, sexual assault, or obscenity, and they therefore rank higher on the list of criminal activity than even manslaughter and murder on some occasions.
However, there are tiers of severity. A low-risk sex offender (Level 1) must register as a sex offender for twenty years unless they were designated as violent or a predator.
A Level 2 offender is a moderate-risk and a Level 3 is high-risk and must register for life. (Click here to learn more about Texas law as it relates to crimes that might be considered “sexual in nature.”)
Determining Criminality
Are All Sex Crimes Criminal?
There is some argumentation between what’s conviction-worthy, and what should be labeled as “criminal.”
For example, if a man had a few too many drinks one night and decided to stop and urinate where he was, he may have been unlucky if he was within a certain distance to a school and an officer pulled up to arrest him. Depending on the attitude of the officer that night, the man’s ability to coherently speak, the judge and jury, he may have his name listed on a sexual offender registry for twenty years for an accidental occurrence. Often, city cops won’t go to such extremes, but you never know.
A Look At Prostitution
A Woman’s Right to Choose
Similarly, prostitution is the number one cause of criminality amongst females. When one really looks at the philosophical and emotional factors at play though, the situation may not be so black and white. Many of these women attempted a different lifestyle and found themselves desperate for money. Many had been victims of abuse, walked away from their home, and found themselves in the street with only their body as a skill set. Many continue this lifestyle while progressing in other life choices.
This latter choice is usually reserved for the higher-class prostitutes (escorts) because women’s pimps are often abusive, psychologically scarring, under-paying people. The typical association to a prostitute is very often treated terribly, objectified, mentally and emotionally, and often even physically abused. Some people make the argument that throwing them into a prison for a crime they literally cannot escape for fear of their lives, their children’s lives, or their ability to provide may not be the best option.
Furthermore, there is the philosophical question of whether the nation as a whole has any right to tell prostitutes what they should and should not do with their bodies, assuming all parties are of age and have consented. Unfortunately, without regulation of this practice, many of this female-dominated career choice begin their career at around fourteen years old.
But, alas, human beings are nosy and we feel we have a right to decide what people get to do with themselves. Although many cases of sexual offenses, such as rape, child pornography, internet sex crimes, sexual assault, and workplace harassment, to name only a handful are very serious offenses and should be treated as such. There are scenarios, however, that are misunderstandings.
For example, a reporter whose name I will not mention broke down the community of sex traffickers in Texas through involving himself in the online community. This, of course, looks horrific from a government perspective, and it was incredibly risky. However, he was able to get several human beings that were selling children for sex put away due to his prying.
In situations such as his, things can be misunderstood. And although he was aware of the risk, he also knew it was important work. Had he been targeted as an offender, he would have needed a lawyer, and he would have needed a fantastic one had he been caught looking at these websites prior to his article being published. For less labeling crimes, some attorneys specialize in sexual assault or other sexual offenses. If you find yourself in such a situation, the first phone call should always be to your lawyer.
Looking for a Sex Crimes Lawyer in Houston?
Get To Know Attorney Sandra J. Oballe
Attorney Sandra J. Oballe is the founder of the Law Offices of Sandra J. Oballe; a Houston, TX-based criminal defense law firm based in downtown Houston and another one in Angleton, TX. Not only is Sandra an experienced criminal defense lawyer, but he’s also one of the few criminal defense lawyers in Texas who has experience beating sex crime cases.
The value of having such a well-studied criminal justice lawyer on your side will go a long way to mitigating the damages associates with being accused of a sex crime. That’s mitigating the damages on the criminal law side with the State of Texas, and managing the civil and societal issues associated with such allegations. If you’re looking for an esteemed defense lawyer that’s one of the best in Texas, contact Sandra J. Oballe by calling 713-524-6656.
Finding The Best Lawyer for a Sex Crime Case
