Sex Crimes

Many people prefer home detention/house arrest to jail, but then come to realize there is hardly any information regarding what to expect both online and from your attorney themselves. This leads to uncertainty and even possibly fear, fear of the unknown and fear of the potential difficulties you may consider when it comes to what you are allowed to do and what may lead to a violation. Coming from someone who has experienced it themselves,…

Article I, Section 19 of the Indiana Constitution provides “[i]n all criminal cases, whatever, the jury shall have the right to determine the law and the facts.”  This would appear to be straight forward, but despite the short provision, there has been constant debate over what exactly this means a jury can or cannot do. Many individuals believe that this provision would allow what is known as “jury nullification” or the idea that a jury…

Twenty-two states have abortion bans that would become law almost immediately if Roe V. Wade is overturned. Many of these state bans contain no exceptions for rape or incest survivors.  While Indiana is not one of the States with “trigger laws”, there has been strong indications that Indiana would move fast toward implementing abortion laws.  Whether or not, Indiana will contain a provision for an exception of rape or incest survivors, is unknown.  So, what can…

Most people know that when you are required to register as a sex offender that there are certain life restrictions that come along with it. The civil consequences can be overwhelming and cumbersome. What a lot of people don’t realize is that there are, at times and given the type of sex crime conviction they have, limitations on where they can live. Unfortunately, many people only discover this after they are convicted because the attorney…

It is upsetting to think that sometimes people are falsely accused of committing a crime.  Unfortunately, false accusations do happen and sometimes criminal charges are filed against innocent people.  In our experience, the most common type of case in which false accusations are made are sex offense cases.  As a result, these cases routinely go to trial.  The laws and rules of evidence governing what can and cannot be brought up at trial in sex…

As complicated as the Indiana Sex Registry statutes are, we thought it made sense to simplify all the statutes, exceptions, and nuanced factors into simple, easy to understand charts. Below are the two charts simplifying the process. The first chart lists all the Indiana Sex Registry crimes and whether they are 10-year or lifetime registries: D = Defendant AV = Alleged Victim P/G = Parent/Guardian SVO = Serious Violent Offender   The second chart below…

I would like to share my story not because it is so unique, but because, I believe, it is all too common.  To set the stage, I am the next of kin for my nephew who is now serving time for a Level 4 felony of child molestation.  I will reference the 5 stages of grieving developed by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. Q: As a loved one of someone charged with…

It seems like every single week, somewhere around the country, there is a local and/or national story about a teacher having an “inappropriate sexual relationship with a student(s).” Whether involving high school students or middle school students, there are teachers of both sexes that are consistently being caught having sexual relations with children of all ages and sexes. Given the position of trust that teachers have with their students, the legislature has created a specially…