3 Reasons To Hire a Rape Attorney

A rape attorney is necessary in order to reduce or avoid spending years in prison and a lifetime registration on the sex-offender list. If you think charges may be brought against you for any type of "rape," attorney services can help. While most people realize that violently forcing someone to have sexual intercourse is illegal and a form of sexual assault, many fail to realize the significance of other forms of rape. Attorney services can help defend you if you've been accused of any of the following crimes.

Date (or Acquaintance) Rapes

This type of unwanted sexual advance is in the context of a mutually voluntary social interaction. For such charges to stick, such an incidence does not necessarily have to include the use of violence on the part of the alleged rapist or physical resistance on the part of the alleged victim. As difficult as the forcible nature of such sexual encounters may be hard to prove, establishing that the advances were welcomed can be even more difficult.

Marital Rapes

Like the first type of assault listed, this accusation can be hard to defend against. Basically, it boils down to a case of he said/she said, and jurors will often side with a sympathetic victim, particularly if that person's spouse has a history of verbal or physical abuse or infidelity. If a person's spouse claims that unwanted sexual aggression has taken place, the burden of proof lies with the accused, which can lead to an innocent party's arrest, trial, and sentencing. A rape attorney can help even the playing field.

Statutory Rapes

Of these three, this offence may least resemble the actual definition of "forced sexual intercourse" when you take teenagers into account. Defined as sexual penetration of a minor who's older than a child but not yet considered old enough to offer consent, this type of accusation can be made even when a teen was the aggressor. The alleged victim in such a crime is typically between the ages of 14 and 18, and the actor's supposed ignorance of the person's age is no defense. Sometimes, there is an exception for those within 36 or 48 months of the victim's age, but those kinds of details vary by state.

Whether you've been accused of a violent sexual crime or any of these categories of rape, attorney services are key to your case. Registration as a sex offender can tarnish your reputation for life, and years in prison will keep you from achieving many of your life goals. With the proper rape attorney helping you out, you can avoid these kinds of hardships.