What are Sex Crimes in Plano, Texas?

Sex crimes are illegal conducts that occur when a sexual act involves any form of violence, coercion, or absence of consent. In Plano City, details of crimes, including sex crimes, are recorded in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Uniform Crime Report (UCR). Crimes are distinguished by their elements, but for a sex crime to be established, there must have been some form of sexual act. 

Classification of sex crimes could vary in different jurisdictions. In Plano City, a sex crime refers to any illegal sexual conduct, regardless of the consent of the parties, including rape, sex trafficking, compelling prostitution, indecency with a minor, sodomy, etc.

In 2020, Texas ranked 16^th on the list of states with the highest number of rape cases, showing a total of 46 rape cases (per 100,000 inhabitants). In the same year, the FBI recorded a total of 160 cases of sex crimes in Plano City, which included – 66 cases of rape, 26 cases of sodomy, 19 cases of sexual assault with an object, 46 cases of fondling, and 3 cases of statutory rape. There was no recorded case of incest.

What are the Types of Sex Crimes in Plano City?

Texas Penal Code is the applicable state law that provides for crime, including Sex crime.  Sex crimes are classified as felonies, and upon conviction, the penalties could range from sex offenders’ registration to steep fines or multiple years in prison.

The offenses classified as sex crime include:

• Continuous sexual abuse of a young child or a disabled person – a child here is considered to be anyone below the age of 14 years, and a disabled person is any person who by reason of age, physical or mental disease, defect, or injury is unable to protect themselves from harm. Any form of sexual abuse against a child or a disabled person is considered a sex crime, and an offender is liable to life imprisonment or any term not less than 25years and not more than 99 years.
• Homosexual Conduct - this involves sexual intercourse with an individual of the same sex. It is considered to be a class C misdemeanor, and convicts are liable to a fine of up to $500.
• Public Lewdness – this involves any act of sexual intercourse or sexual contact done in a public place or done recklessly in the presence of another person. Public lewdness is categorized as a class A misdemeanor, and an offender is liable to 1 year in a county jail or a fine of up to $4,000.
• Indecent Exposure – a person commits the crime of indecent exposure by exposing genitals with the intent to arouse the sexual desire of another person. This crime is categorized as a class B misdemeanor, and an offender is liable to a jail term of up to 180 days or a fine of up to $2,000.
• Bestiality – this refers to any sexual contact with an animal. This crime is categorized as a state jail felony, and an offender is liable to a jail term of up to 2 years and a fine of up to $10,000.  An exception applies to lawful animal husbandry or veterinary practices.
• Indecency with a child – this refers to sexual contact with a child or any act that forces a child to engage in sexual contact. This crime is categorized as a third-degree felony, and an offender is liable to imprisonment for a term not less than two years and not more than ten years.
• Improper relationship between educator and student – this occurs when an employee of a school engages in any sexual contact, sexual intercourse, or deviate sexual intercourse with another person enrolled in the school where the employee works. These cases are reported to the Texas Education Agency or any local law enforcement. 
• Invasive visual recording – this refers to the broadcast of a photograph or video of another person exposing intimate body parts of the person to public view. This crime is categorized as a state jail felony and an offender is liable to a jail term of up to 2 years and a fine of up to $10,000.
• Unlawful disclosure or promotion of intimate visual material – a person commits this crime if they disclose any visual material depicting intimate parts of another person with the intent to harm the person. This offense is categorized as a state jail felony, and an offender is liable to a jail term of up to 2 years and a fine of up to $10,000. If this act constitutes an offense under any other law, a person may be prosecuted under that law, under the Texas penal code, or under both laws.
• Voyeurism – a person commits this offense if they observe another person in their private space with the intent of arousing their own sexual desires. This crime is categorized as a class C misdemeanor and convicts are liable to a fine of up to $500. If the accused person has committed the offense two or more times, it would be categorized as a class B misdemeanor and the offender is liable to a jail term of up to 180 days or a fine of as much as $2,000. If the victim is a child younger than 14 years at the time of the offense, it would be categorized as a state jail felony and the offender is liable to a jail term of up to 2 years and a fine of up to $10,000.
• Sexual coercion – a person is guilty of this offense if the person intentionally threatens another person to commit another sexual offense. Sexual coercion is categorized as a state jail felony and an offender is liable to a jail term of up to 2 years and a fine of up to $10,000.
• Unlawful electronic transmission of sexually explicit visual materials – this is an intentional exposure of a person engaging in any sexual conduct or an exposure of a person’s genitals through an electronic means without the consent of the recipient. This offense is categorized as a class C misdemeanor, and offenders are liable to a fine of up to $500. If this act constitutes an offense under any other law, a person may be prosecuted under that law, under the Texas penal code, or under both laws.
• Sexual assault – this involves the intentional penetration of a person’s sexual organ or mouth without the consent of the person. It also includes causing a person to penetrate the sexual organ or mouth of the offender without the consent of the person. The victim may be a child or an adult, and the act may involve coercion or violence. Sexual assault is categorized as a state jail felony and an offender is liable to a jail term of up to 2 years and a fine of up to $10,000.
• Indecent assault – this refers to any form of physical contact with a person’s sexual organ or genitals with the intent to arouse the offender’s sexual desire and without the consent of the victim. Indecent assault is categorized as a class A misdemeanor, and an offender is liable to 1 year in a county jail or a fine of up to $4,000. 
• Aggravated sexual assault – this is an extreme form of sexual assault that causes serious bodily injury or leads to the death of the victim or the death of another person as a result of the same offense. This offense is classified as a felony of the first degree, and an offender is liable to a minimum jail term of 25 years if the victim is younger than six years of age or if the victim is less than 14 years of age and the offender commits the crime in a stipulated manner.
• Prostitution – this sex crime refers to the intentional giving or receiving of a fee for the purpose of engaging in any sexual conduct. Prostitution is classified as a class B misdemeanor, and an offender is liable to a jail term of up to 180 days or a fine of up to $2,000. If the offender has been convicted of two times, the third offense is classified as class A misdemeanor, and an offender is liable to 1 year in a county jail or a fine of up to $4,000. If the offender has been convicted three or more times, it is classified as a state jail felony, and an offender is liable to a jail term of up to 2 years and a fine of up to $10,000. Prostitution includes solicitation of prostitution, promotion of prostitution, online promotion of prostitution, aggravated promotion of prostitution, aggravated online promotion of prostitution, and compelling prostitution. All these other forms are also considered sex crimes and are punishable by the Texas penal code.

What Crimes Require Sex Offender Registration in Plano City?

Chapter 62 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure provides for the registration of sex offenders, and this includes the details of offenders in Plano City.

A sex offender registry is a digitalized system of documentation that contains the information of reported, arraigned, and convicted sex offenders. It is an online platform that provides the full information of any sex offender. The public may have access to data on any sex offender living in their community. 

The registry contains the biodata of sex offenders as well as internet identifiers and addresses, telephone numbers, social security numbers, residence information including residence address, temporary lodging information, travel, and immigration documents, employ information like employer’s name and address, professional licenses, school information, vehicle information, date of birth, physical description, the type os sexual offense committed, criminal history, and other criminal justice information, current photography, fingerprints and palm prints, DNA, driver’s license or identification card.

In Texas, the State may permit local law enforcement authorities to publish information about sex offenders. Also, if a high-risk sex offender moves into Plano City, the Texas Department of Public Safety would inform the residents about the sex offender.

Residents can search for sex offenders on theTexas Sex Offender Registry and view contact details or frequently asked questions. 

What is a Sex Crimes Defense Attorney?

A Sex Crime Attorney is an attorney who specializes in defending individuals accused of sex crimes. When an individual is convicted of a sex crime, they face the risk of serving jail time or being a permanently registered sex offender. There is, however, the possibility that a person is accused falsely of committing a sex crime. It is the duty of a Sex Crime Attorney to prove that the person is innocent of the crime.  

Unlike other lawyers, a Sex Crime Lawyer is knowledgeable about sex crimes, including types of sex crimes, the provisions of the law on sex crimes, and punishment for sex offenders. A Sex Crime Lawyer is also knowledgeable about the possible defenses that can be raised when an individual is accused of a sex crime.

How does a Sex Crime Defense Attorney Work?

A Sex Crime Defence Attorney would weigh the evidence brought against the accused person and establish possible defenses. Some of the defenses that can be used by a Sex Crime Defense Attorney include:

Defense of insanity or mental incapacity establishes that the accused person had a mental disease at the time the crime was committed. The attorney may further establish that the accused person lacked the mental capacity to understand what was happening at that time. 

Defense of alibi establishes the innocence of the accused person by proving that the accused person was not present at the scene of the crime and there was a possible mistaken identity.

Consent. Most sex crimes arise as a result of a non-consensual sex act. If the Sex Crime Defense Attorney can prove that there was consent by both parties and no form of coercion, this would stand as a good defense for the accused person.