The consequences of being held by the law enforcement agents for sexual crimes in Maryland can be frightening. And if you are being charged with an unfair sexual offense charged than it is more humiliating. The guilty sex offenders have to face serious penalties in Maryland, and they are even registered as sex offenders. Hence, it is crucial for individuals to grasp the diverse categories of sexual crimes in the state of Maryland, their respective penalties and all the mitigating factors in case your charges are unfair.
According to the Maryland codes, a Sex crime is:
“Performing any sexual act without the consent of the person.”
It is observed that in a majority of such cases of sexual abuse the assaulter and victim know each other. Mostly the assaulter is either from the office, from school, a friend or a family member. Hence after the sexual abuse, the victim is in the state of shock and distress. While there are plenty of long-term impacts of the sexual abuse on the mental and physical health of the victim, the immediate effects include anxiety, fear, shock, depression, along with the medical condition of the victim.
Rapes or forcible connection are often considered as the major sexual assault by most of the people; however, according to the Maryland law, there are plenty of other sexual crimes which are mentioned under the serious crimes. Normally these sex acts are considered to be the physical contact with the person. However, there is a certain situation where one can be charged with a sexual crime without the physical contact, for example being a part of indecent exposure in front of a school. Hence below are few common types of sexual crimes in Maryland.
These sex crimes are divided into multiple subcategories including:
- Rape (all degrees)
- Sex Offenses (1st, 2nd, and aggravated 3rd degree)
- 3rd-degree sex offenses
- 4th-degree sex offenses
- Kidnapping a minor for prostitution
- Crimes involving prostitution
- Sale of children
- Distributing child pornography
- Manufacturing child pornography
- Storing child pornographic material
- Forcible sodomy
- Forcible perverted practice
- Human trafficking
- pandering
- Incest
- Kidnapping
- Murder with intent to rape,
- Murder by sexually offending an individual
- Murder by Sexually abusing a minor
- Sexual abuse of a minor
- Sexual solicitation of a minor
- Visual surveillance with prurient intent
Understanding the Sex Offender Registry Laws of Maryland: Tiers of sex offenders in Maryland
According to the Maryland Criminal Procedure Code Section 11-701:
“An offense that would require the person to be classified as a tier I sex offender, tier II sex offender, or tier III sex offender.”
- “Tier, I sex offender,” means a person who has been convicted of:
- 4th-degree sex offense
- child pornography material possession
- misleading information on the internet
- Trafficking for sexual activity
- video surveillance and/or “peeping” without the permission of the victim
People registered under tier I stay on the list for a period of 15 years
- “Tier II sex offender” means a person who has been convicted of:
- Distributing child pornography
- Sale of a minor
- Any third-degree sex offense.
People registered under tier II stay off this list for a period of 25 years
- “Tier III sex offender” means a person who has been convicted of:
- Rape of any type
- Incest
- Kidnapping,
- Murder with the intention of raping
- Assault with the intention of raping
- Selling a minor.
People registered under tier III stay on this list forever.
How can Maryland sexual abuse lawyer help you?
If you are facing any sex crime charges, it is best that you contact an experienced sexual abuse lawyer of Maryland immediately. The experienced lawyers can help you in defending your case against the harsh prosecutors of Maryland.