Called the “Romeo and Juliet Law”, this law was designed for people who were in consensual relationships with a younger partner. According to lawmakers, when they voted on the issue, some testimonies were given by people who were convicted of the offense, required to register, and later married the person with whom they were having sexual relations.

All sex offenses carry a serious stigma. And because you are required to register on a public database, you can bet that you will be judged by neighbors, acquaintances, and anyone else who knows of your conviction. “People want to know who did I rape and they think I am the one hiding out in the bushes,” says one offender who qualifies under the new law.

Under this new legislation, offenders must petition the state and can only qualify if the relationship was consensual, there is fewer than 4 years age difference, and the minor was at least 15 years old at the time of the offense.

Lawmakers hope this will allow some to move on with their lives while freeing up resources to deal with the “truly dangerous offenders.” Because all sex offenders must be registered, enforcement was meted out whether you were a dangerous, violent rapist, or someone who had a high school sweetheart a few years younger than you.

Being accused of any type of sexual offense can be very scary because you know the penalties go far beyond fines and prison time. This truly is a conviction you will have to deal with for the rest of your life. Whether you are convicted of online solicitation of a minor or sexual assault, you will have to register as a sex offender and carry that label forever.

Such cases are particularly difficult for all parties involved. You may even know your accuser, which can make things even trickier.

If you are accused of a sex offense in Texas, contact us to speak with a local criminal defense lawyer for help.

Governor Perry signed the sexting reform bill into law, after it was passed by the Texas legislature . The laws are now appropriately updated, and in line with a current world where most people understand that teen questionable behavior is not at the same level as being a predatory child pornographer and registered sex offender. The laws about possessing and exchanging images did not reflect the reality of every hormone-riddled teen carrying a camera and worldwide distribution network in his or her pocket.

The new law will add a requirement for teens charged with sexting to complete and educational program on the dangers of sexting, that detail the emotional and criminal destructiveness of sexting.

Surveys show that nearly 20% of teens have sent a “sexually suggestive” picture of themselves to someone else.

Richard Connely wrote on Thursday “We combed through 15 of the biggest counties in Texas and came up with the ten hottest women in the database.” And sure enough, he posted their photos, names, cities, crime, and the age and gender of their victims.

The first one on the list—a woman convicted of sexual assault against a 14 year old female. Another—indecency with a 4 year old boy– hardly the sort of qualities you look for in a mate and certainly not the kind of background that is found attractive in the least. .

It took less than 24 hours for Connely to write an apology. He claims the piece was written to show that sexual predators don’t always fit the stereotype. They aren’t always bearded men with thick glasses in a van. No, they are “hot” women too.

In his apology he says it was not his intention at all to glamorize child rape. He claims to have not even realized it would be portrayed that way, feeling his intent should have been obvious. He does say his intention was to “shock” but “in a good way” and apologizes for offending people.

One can’t help but think what the difference would have been had the article portrayed men. Oh, that wouldn’t have happened. Because despite these horrible crimes that the women on the “hot” list committed, they are still seen as sexual beings (capable of being attractive), an interesting double standard.

Either way, the post wasn’t well thought out. Had Connelly gone with a less sensational headline he may have avoided at least some of the backlash for his article. But in an admitted effort to gain “clicks” he knew “10 Hottest” and “Sex Offenders” together in one line would garner him some serious attention.

When you are accused of a sex offense (particularly against a child), you will face immeasurable disdain from the public and even people you consider friends. This is, strangely so, even truer when you are a man. Finding someone to take your side and stand up for your rights can be difficult at a time like this. A local defense lawyer can help.

If you are facing charges of a sexual nature and need an advocate in your corner, contact our offices today for a free initial consultation on your case.

According to the Houston Chronicle the state has until July 26 to make necessary changes or face the loss of 10% of federal funding under the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant, amounting to $2.2 million. But, the changes being ordered by the federal mandate would cost an estimated $38.8 million.

Under the state’s current requirements, sex offender registration is based on the risk of reoffending. The federal Adam Walsh Act would require registration rules based on the offense at hand and could result in having many more registered sex offenders, some being required to register as often as once every 3 months.

Under the Act, the state registration would group sex offenders into three tiers, each tier having different requirements based on the offense. Under current laws, sex offenders in Texas have to register for 10 years or for life, two simple options.

While officials are “balking” at the new and costly requirements, they are simultaneously putting out statements of support. A spokesperson for Governor Perry states “We support efforts to increase the monitoring of and penalties for these criminals.” There are opponents, however, though they are mostly opposed to the tight deadline and potential loss of funds.

Time will tell if the state makes the July deadline or if they allow it to pass. While they try to balance cost with public safety, failing to follow through on the mandates could mean backlash from the community.

Despite the arguable effectiveness of sex offender tracking, people are largely supportive of very tight restrictions on people who have been convicted of such crimes. These crimes, more than any others, are heavily stigmatized, making them particularly difficult to live down once charged.

Even if you are eventually acquitted or the charges are dropped, a sex offense charge can change your life forever. Having a defense attorney on your side that is experienced in these sort of cases can help minimize the impact they have on your life.

When charged with rape, child molestation, and even solicitation, you can face untold consequences in your personal and professional life. Marriages and businesses have fallen apart over charges like these and the state of Texas only plans on making it worse.

If you’re facing charges of a sexual nature, contact our attorneys today.

Texas State Senator Kirk Watson (D-Austin) has introduced legislation that would reduce juvenile sexting (transmitting nude or explicit photos via text message) to a misdemeanor charge for a first time offender. And if charged under the new law, a judge would have the discretion to send the teen (and a parent) to a class on the dangers of sexting.

Sentator Watson worked in conjunction with Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on the legislation who states he didn’t know of any cases where teens have been charged with the current 3^rd degree felony sex offense crime yet.

AG Abbot calls the sexting phenomena a trend rather than a crime, a “dangerous trend” he learned about after discussing it with his young sons. According to this report from the Houston Chronicle about 22% of teen girls surveyed in 2008 had sent sexually explicit images of themselves via text message—a frightening statistic to be sure.

But criminalizing kids for such action is not the smartest solution. If the new legislation passes a child could still be charged with a crime for sexting but it’s far less impactful than a felony charge. Also, under the proposed bill teens could apply to have the charged expunged from their record at a later date.

There are many things that kids can be prosecuted for these days that they would’ve only received a suspension from school for just 20 years ago. And while the behaviors of kids have changed a little, criminalizing acts that can be resolved by other means seems the most prudent thing to do.

When your child is brought into the juvenile justice system, it can be a very frightening time. Knowing what your teen is facing and helping them walk out of the system with minimal negative effects can be easier with the assistance of a local defense lawyer.

Although the juvenile system can be a difficult place to navigate, your child is not without options. If you or your child is facing criminal charges, contact our offices today for a free consultation on the case.

It wasn’t until science caught up with the courts that Green had the opportunity to prove his innocence. He was released recently after DNA found on the victim’s jeans proved he wasn’t one of the men who raped her on that fateful night.

Now he spends his time working to tell his story and hopes to assist others who may be wrongfully incarcerated and serving sentences based on faulty eyewitness testimony.

Although the testimony of an eyewitness is said to have the greatest impact on a jury, it’s repeatedly been shown to be far from error-proof. The human mind and memory is prone to mistakes and though eyewitnesses rarely intend to help put an innocent person behind bars, it does happen.

According to the Associated Press, 265 people have been exonerated by DNA evidence since 1989. Interestingly, however, according to the Innocence Project, eyewitness misidentification played a role in about 75% of those initial convictions.

When you are accused of committing a crime and there is a witness or alleged victim willing to come forward and identify you, it can be difficult to overcome in court. Despite evidence showing how faulty eyewitness identification is, a jury tends to believe someone who saw a crime happen. And this can be a major hurdle in a criminal case.

It is the job of a criminal defense attorney to evaluate the reliability of eyewitness testimony and find flaws in the account of the eyewitness. The main goal is to show the jury there is“reasonable doubt” to the defendant’s guilt.

Green speaks to teens telling them to watch out and don’t get caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. “It can happen to anyone.” He was walking down a Houston street the night that woman was raped. He was stopped by police but allowed to go after the woman said he wasn’t involved.

Just a few weeks later Green was arrested for stealing a car. It was then that the same woman looked at him again and decided it was him that raped her, choosing him from a line-up and sealing his fate for the next 27 years.

If you’re facing criminal charges in Texas for rape or any offense, whether there is an eyewitness who puts you at the scene or not, your defense attorney is your advocate in the courts—there to help dig through the evidence and represent your best interests in court.

Contact our offices today for a free consultation on your case and to discuss what you’re up against in the Texas criminal courts.

Even though most sexual assaults are committed at the hands of someone whom the victim knows, police in the area estimate about 25% are committed by strangers. About 75% of all rapes occur within a home or apartment.

Some, however, are committed in random outdoor places. More than 400 were committed in fields, woods, parking lots, sidewalks, and on streets. Obviously, these were more likely to be the offenses committed by strangers.

But why rape cases don’t end in arrest can be blamed on several things, one of which being the victim’s refusal or reluctance to cooperate. Despite the modern times, there is a huge stigma still attached to sexual assault. Victims are often plagued with feelings of guilt even when they had nothing to do with the violence brought upon them.

If they knew the suspect it makes cooperation that much less likely. While they may report the offense initially, they will become more hesitant with time, preferring to put the situation behind them as quickly as possible. Understandably, talking with police weeks or even months after the fact can be traumatic to a victim trying to move on.

There is an equally if not bigger stigma attached to being accused of rape. When you are accused of committing a sex offense, you will be looked at with utter disdain and even disgust. If you are innocent of the charges it can be even more difficult to bear this sort of backlash.

Everyone from the alleged victim to the police and even people whom you would normally think to be unbiased has an opinion when it comes to sex crimes, and this opinion is not favorable.

Stigma is the least of your worries in such cases. You could be slapped with a lengthy prison sentence, fines, and extremely restrictive sex offender registry requirements if you are convicted. This isn’t the kind of case that goes away after it’s resolved in court—it’s the kind that follows you forever.

If you are facing any sex crime charges in the state of Texas, you need someone in your corner because it’s going to seem like no one has any sort of sympathy for you.

Contact our offices today to speak with a local Texas criminal defense attorney.

As reported in the Texas Tribune, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Texas’ death penalty law for multiple time sex offenders but that definitely won’t deter the state from punishing such offenders with the harshest penalties possible.

Among those new restrictions being suggested by the Governor is the electronic monitoring of sex offenders considered “high risk”. This monitoring typically works by tracking where the offender is at any given time with GPS positioning.

While the monitoring doesn’t necessarily prevent someone from reoffending, it is a constant reminder to the sex offender that they are being “watched”. Also, should any questions arise of where a particular sex offender was at a particular time, the GPS device can be consulted. This tracking device would likely be used for probationers and parolees who are deemed at risk to reoffend.

Also, the governor wants other states to join in “reciprocal agreements” regarding sex offender registration. The belief is that agreements across state lines would help ensure sex offenders weren’t moving from state to state in order to skirt registration requirements.

Lastly, the Governor proposes that prosecutors be able to pursue life without parole for repeat offenders. While this is currently the case for child predators, he would like to see it a possibility for those who sexually victimize adults as well.

“These steps will help ensure that sexual predators pay the price for their crimes and do not have the freedom to destroy lives again” said Perry.

Sex offenses, whether perpetrated on children or adults, are largely seen as the most horrific crimes. The general public has a fear of these offenses and so that fear is projected on anyone suspected of possibly having committed such an offense. Law enforcement and lawmakers embrace this fear and enact laws to make the people feel safer, whether or not the fear is legitimate.

From the moment you are arrested for a sex offense, you are treated as if you have already been found guilty. This can make it difficult for you, as a defendant, to feel as if you will get a fair shake under the law.

A defense attorney can help ensure your rights are protected throughout the criminal justice process. If you are facing charges of a sexual nature in Texas, contact our offices today. Whether it’s a charge of solicitation or sexual assault, there’s a good chance we can help.

According to the Brownsville Herald, the girl initially agreed to send the boy a topless photo of herself. But he then threatened to forward the photo to his friend if she didn’t send him a subsequent fully nude image.

These cases are considered surprisingly common, though they often don’t make news and may be dealt with in juvenile court.  But as we’ve noted before, Texas law has no provision for lesser charges, and is known to be tough on these offenses. Felony sex offenses in Texas are very serious crimes.

Since this case appears to involve coercions, it goes beyond an innocent but dumb sexting charge. If the girl had willingly send the photos, and not been threatened, you could make a case that felony sex offense charges would be completely inappropriate.

More typical sexting offenses involve willing parties, giving in to adolescent impulses and exploring sexuality.

In any case, it will be interesting to see how this case resolves, and if it raises the issue of future sexting laws reform in Texas.

Via the Texas Tribune, Abbott suggests jail time is a serious risk of prosecution for a  felony offense of child pornography charges, even among consenting teens. Possession of explicit, nude or semi-nude pictures of your teen girlfriend is a huge risk.

If you are convicted of a sex offense in Texas, you will also face the prospect of ending up in a federal registry as a sex offender.

While sexting is not behavior that should be encouraged, most people can understand the difference between teenagers acting stupidly and adults exchanging underage pornography. Yet the law as written in Texas makes no such distinction.

One would hope that reasonable prosecutors would use discretion in these matters, but until the laws are reformed to reflect the reality that virtually every teen in America has 1) raging hormones, and 2) a cell phone with a camera, these kinds of cases can result in very serious criminal charges and life changing penalties.