Being charged with rape or a sex crime in an area like Miami-Dade is a very serious offense and should be handled with the utmost discretion by an attorney who has years of experience dealing with similar cases.
If you have been charged with raping a stranger or committing any other type of sex crime, the best thing that you can do to preserve your rights is to reach out to a defense lawyer who primarily handles sexual assault crime defense.
The definition of stranger rape is that it is nonconsensual (or forced) sexual assault on a man or woman who does not know his or her attacker.
Categorizations of Stranger Rape
There are 3 major categories that stranger rape falls into.
- Blitz sexual assault, in which the perpetrator suddenly, quickly, and often brutally attacks a victim with which there was no prior contact. These assaults often occur in public places at night.
- Contact sexual assault, in which the suspect makes an attempt to reach out to the victim and gain his or her trust before the assault. In many cases, these types of perpetrators will pick victims in public areas and establishments like bars, try to lure them to a car or other private and away place, and then try to coerce or force sexual assault.
- Home invasion sexual assault is one of the most traumatizing and feared types of rape and consists of a stranger breaking into a victim’s home in order to commit sexual assault.
None of these is necessarily less severe than the other, although it should be mentioned that home invasion rape carries with it the possibility of being charged with breaking and entering.
Sex Crime Penalties
In Miami-Dade, any felony sexual offender is required by law to declare themselves as a sexual offender and register as such. A sexual offender must update his or her residence every 3-6 months for the entire term of their lives.
In addition, every felony sex crime carries mandatory incarceration, and all convicts must be placed on Sex Offender Probation after being released, which restricts where you can live, where you can work and when you can be out of your house. You will also face mandatory sex offender counseling.
Generally, the more severe a sexual crime, the longer a prison sentence the defendant faces. Sexual battery (or rape) has the most severe penalty among sex crimes in Florida; if convicted, you could face a maximum sentence of life in prison and a minimum sentence of 9 years.
If you or someone you know has been charged with rape or another sex crime in the Miami-Dade area or southern Florida in general, consult a defense lawyer who has handled cases like yours before and will aggressively fight for a minimum sentence.
Your lawyer will force the prosecution to live up to the legal burden of proof, which is that the evidence must clearly show beyond a reasonable doubt that you committed the crimes for which you have been accused. If that proof cannot be produced, then you cannot be held legally culpable.
To learn more about what a defense lawyer can do for you, schedule a free consultation.
Contacting a Criminal Defense Lawyer in Miami-Dade
If you are facing criminal charges for sex crimes, your legal team is your best defense. The defense team you choose to represent you in court, defend your rights, and relentlessly pursue your case could be the difference between jail time and getting on with your life. Contact the criminal defense team at Falk & Ross to discuss your case – 1-877-663-5110.