How Sex Crimes Are Different from Other Criminal Offenses

 Posted on April 25, 2025 in Sex crimes

If you are facing charges for a sex crime, it is important that you recognize the many ways in which sex crimes are different from other criminal offenses. Prosecutors and law enforcement are more aggressive when dealing with sex crimes, and the legal penalties are usually much more severe. If the sex crime involves a child, all the negative aspects can be multiplied exponentially.

Legal penalties are not the only serious, adverse aspects of sex crimes; there are also many collateral consequences. If you are facing sex crime charges, having a strong, experienced Salt Lake City, UT criminal defense attorney by your side is the best thing you can do to ensure your rights and your future are protected to the extent possible.

What Makes Sex Crimes Different?

In addition to potentially overzealous law enforcement and prosecutors, perhaps the main reason sex crime charges are different from other felony offenses is that society tends to view sex crimes as the worst of the worst. This means that even when a person is innocent of the charges, the court of public opinion will try to convict him or her before there is even a trial. Family members, co-workers, and neighbors may all look at those accused of a sex crime differently (and not in a good way).  

Sex offenses tend to be more highly publicized, making it likely that everyone will read about the charges in the morning newspaper or hear about them on television. Because there is so much stigma surrounding sex crimes, elected officials like district attorneys will likely pursue an arrest and conviction aggressively – and publicly.   

When a person is accused of a sex crime, many people will assume he or she is guilty, even if the individual is acquitted at trial. It is highly likely that the accused will lose his or her job, making it difficult or impossible to provide for a family until the trial. For most felony offenses, the burden of proof is on the prosecution, but for sex crimes, the burden of proof is on the defense, and there is no "innocent until proven guilty."

Sex crimes often come down to one person’s word against another’s. In a rape charge, whether the accused is sentenced to many years in prison could come down to which person the jurors find more believable. This does not necessarily mean the alleged victim is being truthful, just that he or she may be perceived as being more believable. Finally, sex crimes are different because even after a person has served his or her sentence, there is sexual offender registration that can last ten years, twenty years, or even for the remainder of the person’s life.

What Are the Potential Collateral Consequences of a Sex Crime Conviction?

Once a person convicted of a sex crime has served his or her sentence, the penalties are far from over. Obtaining employment is likely to be extremely difficult, particularly if the sex crime charges involve a child. It can be difficult – if not impossible – to rent or lease a home or apartment, and once the individual registers as a sex offender, everyone with a phone or computer can find the information online.  

What Are Some of the Most Common Defenses to Sex Crimes?

The takeaway for someone accused of a sex crime is that it is critically important to avoid a conviction for a sex crime. To do this, a person charged with a sex crime must have an exceptionally experienced, highly skilled criminal defense attorney who has significant experience defending those charged with a sex crime. Some of the more common defenses to sex crimes include:

• Invalid search and seizure
• No warrant
• Evidence chain of command issues
• False allegations
• Denial of the defendant’s constitutional rights
• The alleged victim consented
• Actual innocence or solid alibi

Contact a Davis County, UT Sex Crimes Lawyer

If you are facing charges for a sex crime, do not wait – contact a Salt Lake City, UT sex crimes attorney from Collins Rupp, P.C. as quickly as possible. Our attorneys bring unique experience to the table and are highly skilled in defending sex crimes. Call 385-777-2753 to schedule your free consultation.