Below, an Arlington sex crimes lawyer discusses the penalties associated with specific types of sex crimes in Virginia. If you have been accused of any of these or a different sexual offense call and schedule a consultation as soon as possible.
Rape, forcible sodomy and object sexual penetration are all punishable by five years to life in prison. So these are very, very serious offenses with very serious outcomes.
Rape of a child under 13 is five years to life in prison and if the offender was over 18 at the time, the punishment is a minimum of life in jail.
In addition to doing multiple years in jail, a person convicted of a felony sex offense faces potential fines; supervised probation for many years, sex offender treatment and counseling, no contact with victims, and possible placement on the sex offender registry in Virginia. That online registry is accessible to people in the community and the convicted sexual offender will have to register on that list with for a certain amount of time or else face new charges with more potential jail time. There’s obviously a stigma associated with being convicted of a sex offense and certainly with having to register as a sexual offender.
Aggravated sexual battery is punishable by one to twenty years in jail and a fine of not more than $100,000. Once again, if convicted, the offender must register with the Virginia sex offender registry. In addition to any jail time and fine the convicted individual will certainly be on felony probation for a period of several years to life. A probation officer requires frequent communication and can restrict travel and who someone associates with. Aggravated sexual battery is a serious offense with serious and harsh punishments upon conviction.
Sexual battery is a class 1 misdemeanor, so the punishment is less than a felony, but is still very serious. The maximum sentence is up to a twelve months in jail and a $2,500 fine. A defendant can also can be sentenced to probation, be ordered to undergo a mental health and sexual offender evaluation and the court can order any treatment that is required. The court will most likely order that the defendant not have any contact of any kind with the victim, and the court can also bar the defendant from returning to the location where the sexual assault occurred.
You’re also convicted of a sex offense in Virginia which carries its own social stigma and can affect future employment. Unless the perpetrator is 18 years old and the victim is under the age of 6 there is no mandatory requirement to register as a sex offender, but upon second or subsequent conviction for sexual battery an offender would have to register as a sex offender.