How a Sexual Assault Conviction Can Ruin Your Future

You had the entire night planned out perfectly. It was your one-month anniversary, so after you took your girlfriend to her favorite restaurant, the C & H Oyster Bar, you planned on taking her down by the river to stargaze.

Unfortunately, your night was almost ruined when your ex-girlfriend spotted you putting your jacket around your new girlfriend’s shoulders. Your previous relationship did not end well and your ex was still holding a grudge. After quickly defusing the situation and driving as quickly as the speed limit would allow to the river bank, your night was back on track. You spent about two romantic hours down by the water, and while you were having your romantic stargazing, you had your roommate set up candles and music back at your apartment, for a perfect end to the night.

However, as you approached your apartment door—having blindfolded your lady so as not to ruin the surprise—you heard strange voices talking inside. You opened the door, expecting to see the lavish display of romance; instead, you’re looking straight into the eyes of two police officers from the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Department.

They explained that you would have to go down to the station, because you’ve been accused of a sexual assault. Your ex had apparently gotten so upset that she told the police you had abused her. You tried to explain the situation to your girlfriend as the police escorted you to their car.

What are you going to do? Being accused of something like this is hard enough, but what if you’re actually convicted? What does that mean for your future?

Effects of Being Convicted of Sexual Assault

Merely being accused of a sexual crime can be damaging to your reputation. If you’re actually convicted of the crime, it can ruin your options for the future. Depending on the degree of assault in which you’re convicted, punishments and consequences can vary from jail time to permanent documentation of the conviction to limitations on where you can live. A few effects of sexual assault convictions are as follows:

• Imprisonment. Sexual assault is generally considered a felony and can result in imprisonment for anywhere between two to five years, up to 25 years to life.
• Mandatory registration as a sex offender. If convicted of a sex crime, you will be forced to become part of the sex offender registry.
• Suspicion and societal isolation. Because you’ll be registered as a sex offender, communities will constantly be suspicious of you and your activities, no matter what the circumstances of the conviction.
• Severe restrictions on where you live. You will be forbidden to live within a certain distance of schools or certain neighborhoods.
• Requirements to inform neighborhood residents of your sex offender status.
• Requirements to provide information, address, and photos to your local police department every one to three years.
• Restricted Internet use and required periodicsubmission of online activity details to local authorities, such as your username, IP address, and user history.

A sexual assault conviction will not only ruin your reputation, it’ll ruin your life. Even if you’re not sentenced to jail time, your life will become a prison unto itself. Your actions and movements will be restricted, you’ll constantly be looked upon with suspicion, resentment, and possible anger which could also lead to unwarranted violence—all for a crime that you didn’t commit.

Don’t put your life in jeopardy. Contact us immediately if you’ve been accused of a sexual assault you didn’t commit. Our experience, knowledge and skills can help make the difference between freedom, and a lifetime of needless restrictions, pain and isolation.

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