Sexual Abuse Charges – Blog 6: Indecency With a Child by Exposure

November 27, 2020

By Criminal Defense Lawyer Jeremy Rosenthal

(972) 369-0577

www.texasdefensefirm.com

Today we’ll talk about the basic law of indecency with a child by exposure in my continuing blog series about sexual abuse charges.  It goes without saying sexual abuse is an incredibly complex topic in every way – so you can reference this blog as an index to the others including this one.

What is Indecency By Exposure?

This is where a person either exposes themselves to a child or causes the child to expose themselves to any person.  The lynchpin to the exposure being a crime is it must be done with “intent to gratify or arouse any person.”  See Tex.Pen.C. 21.11(a)(2).

Like with Indecency by contact – the legislature felt it better for a jury to decide which situations constituted an offense and which didn’t.

Indecency by exposure is considered an act of sexual abuse for the purposes of the “continuous sexual abuse of a child” statute.

The “Romeo and Juliet defense” is available for indecency by exposure if the actor is not more than three years older than the victim and the victim is 14 years or older.

Sex Offender Registration – A Major Difference

One major difference between indecency by exposure and indecency by contact are the sex offender registration requirements under Chapter 62 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.  Indecency by exposure triggers a ten-year registration instead of a lifetime registration.

*Jeremy Rosenthal is certified in criminal law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.  He is recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters.

 


Sexual Abuse Charges – Blog 5: Indecency With a Child by Contact

November 26, 2020

By Criminal Defense Lawyer Jeremy Rosenthal

www.texasdefensefirm.com

(972) 369-0577

There is too much ground to cover in blogging about the technical, practical, and the defense of sexual abuse charges to do the topic justice in just a hand-full of articles.  This is why I’ve chopped up the topic into a series and today I’m writing about the technical aspects of the Texas Law on Indecency with a child by contact.

What is Indecency by Contact?

Indecency by contact occurs where the actor either knowingly or intentionally – with the intent to arouse any person – makes actual “sexual contact with a child.”

Indecency is codified in Tex.Pen.C. 21.11.  Section (c) deals with the lynchpin of indecency with a child by contact by defining “sexual contact”:

(c) In this section, “sexual contact” means the following acts, if committed with the intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person:

(1) any touching by a person, including touching through clothing, of the anus, breast, or any part of the genitals of a child; or

(2) any touching of any part of the body of a child, including touching through clothing, with the anus, breast, or any part of the genitals of a person.

Unlike sexual assault of a child, aggravated sexual assault of a child, and “super” aggravated sexual assault of a child, though, Indecency by contact requires intent to “arouse or gratify.”

This is probably because the legislature understood when drafting the sexual assault charges – certain types of sexual contact (i.e. genital to genital or mouth to genital) a judge or jury could automatically infer the intent of the actor was to “arouse or gratify” based on the type of contact alone.

With indecency by contact, however, the legislature probably understood without adding the language that “sexual contact” includes the intent to arouse or gratify – they could potentially criminalize potentially routine, inadvertent, or innocuous contact between adults and children such as when a child gives a bear-hug to her grandma or a parent bathes their child.

Punishment for Indecency By Contact

Indecency by Contact is a 2nd Degree felony punishable between 2 and 20 years in the Texas prisons. Probation and deferred adjudication are possible depending on the person’s criminal history.  It requires lifetime sex offender registration.

*Jeremy Rosenthal is certified in criminal law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.  He is designated as a Texas Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters.


Sexual Abuse Charges – Blog 4: Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child

November 25, 2020

By Criminal Defense Lawyer Jeremy Rosenthal

www.texasdefensefirm.com

(972) 369-0577

As you can tell by the title, I’m writing a series of blogs on sexual abuse charges.  You might be interested in a guide or index to these articles for more information.  Today’s topic is “Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child or Young Children” (“continuous”), its legal definition, and a few of the technical legal aspects of this law.

What is “Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child” According to Texas Law?

“Continuous” is a law drafted to prevent and punish someone who sexually abuses a child victim repeatedly over months or even years.  Most of these prosecutions involve an individual child though the law allows prosecution for multiple victims.  It is codified under Tex.Pen.C. 21.02.

The punishment range for continuous sexual abuse of a child is 25 years to life with no possibility of parole.

If a person commits two acts of sexual abuse of a child which occur over 30 days apart from each other than the person has committed continuous sexual abuse of a child or young children.

It’s drafted really differently than any other sex crime charge so I think the easiest way to understand it is through examples:

Examples of Continuous:

Example 1 –

  • Defendant commits act of sexual abuse on January 1 against victim A
  • Defendant commits act of sexual abuse on January 31 against victim A or B

Example 2 –

  • Sexual abuse on January 1 against victim A
  • Sexual abuse on January 10 against victim A or B
  • Sexual abuse on January 31 against victim A or B

Example 3 –

  • Sexual abuse on January 1, year 1 against victim A
  • Sexual abuse on January 10, year 1 against victim B
  • Sexual abuse on May 1, year 3 against victim C
  • Sexual abuse on July 1, year 5 against victim D

The easiest example is number 1.  Two acts of sexual abuse more than 30 days apart from one another.  Example 2 shows the existence of a third instance of abuse which isn’t more than 30 days apart doesn’t prevent prosecution for continuous though it does cause legal complications I’ll discuss in a minute.

Examples of what ISN’T Continuous:

  • Sexual Abuse on January 1 against Victim A
  • Sexual Abuse on January 10 against Victim A or B
  • Sexual Abuse on January 30 against Victim A, B, or C

Here, all the abuse is within 30 days.  For that reason defendant can be prosecuted for whatever crimes the abuse consisted of against the individual victims – but not continuous sexual abuse of a child or young children.

What is an Act of Sexual Abuse For the Purposes of Prosecution of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child?

The statute for “Continuous” lumps pretty much all of the acts of sexual abuse together for this type of prosecution.  My guess is the legislature did this so defendants couldn’t wiggle out of a Continuous charge by nit-picking and claiming certain acts done to certain victims were not the same or didn’t constitute sexual abuse.

Here’s what the law says about acts of Sexual Abuse under 21.02(c)

(c) For purposes of this section, “act of sexual abuse” means any act that is a violation of one or more of the following penal laws:

(1) aggravated kidnapping under Section 20.04(a)(4), if the actor committed the offense with the intent to violate or abuse the victim sexually;

(2) indecency with a child under Section 21.11(a)(1), if the actor committed the offense in a manner other than by touching, including touching through clothing, the breast of a child;

(3) sexual assault under Section 22.011;

(4) aggravated sexual assault under Section 22.021;

(5) burglary under Section 30.02, if the offense is punishable under Subsection (d) of that section and the actor committed the offense with the intent to commit an offense listed in Subdivisions (1)-(4);

(6) sexual performance by a child under Section 43.25;

(7) trafficking of persons under Section 20A.02(a)(7) or (8); and

(8) compelling prostitution under Section 43.05(a)(2).

Where This Law Gets Extremely Complex

This statute has been the subject for much legal crazy-making for lawyers and judges for many reasons.  Courts have done their best to end the confusion but it is still the subject of controversy.  I don’t want to get too bogged down in these issues for this blog – but I’ll generally describe them because they’re still very important.

Jury Unanimity Issues

A major headache with this statute is the jury is not required to agree which allegations have been proven beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury and which have not.  Instead, the jury must only agree beyond a reasonable doubt two or more instances occurred beyond the 30 days.

This is important because not only is it confusing, but because the US Supreme Court has been clear any factor which enhances a punishment range must not only be submitted to a jury but then proven to the jury beyond a reasonable doubt.

Notice Issues

Another problem with the statute is the term “sexual abuse” combined with the unclear or fuzzy nature of children’s allegation of dates makes it extremely difficult for a defendant to know specifically what they are accused of doing so they have an opportunity to defend themselves.

Notice is always a difficult topic in child sexual abuse cases because the defendant always needs to know exactly what they are being put on trial for.  The allegations in many continuous cases don’t do much better than telling someone, “we just think you’re a really bad child molester” and now we’ll put you on trial for it.

Overview of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child or Young Children Tex.Pen.C. 21.02

This is an extremely difficult statute in many ways to legally understand much less defend.  The subject matter and the punishment possibilities make defending these cases as critical as cases can be in the courtroom.

*Jeremy Rosenthal is certified in criminal law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.  He is recognized as a Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters.

 

 


Sexual Abuse Charges – Blog 3: Sexual Assault of a Child

November 24, 2020

By Criminal Defense Lawyer Jeremy Rosenthal

www.texasdefensefirm.com

(972) 369-0577

Today I’m continuing my blog series on Sexual Abuse Charges.  Here is a guide to this series of blogs on sexual abuse charges where you can find more information on today’s blog and other related topics.

What is Sexual Assault of a Child in Texas?

Sexual assault of a child in Texas is committed when one of a number of sexual acts is committed between against a child who is younger than 17 but is 14 or older.  Another common term for this offense is “statutory rape” but this word doesn’t appear in the code.

For situations where an accuser is younger than 14, the applicable statute is typically aggravated sexual assault of a child.

I again apologize for the graphic nature of these descriptions, but Tex.Pen.C. 22.011(a)(2) defines the acts associated with sexual assault:

(2) regardless of whether the person knows the age of the child at the time of the offense, the person intentionally or knowingly:

(A) causes the penetration of the anus or sexual organ of a child by any means;

(B) causes the penetration of the mouth of a child by the sexual organ of the actor;

(C) causes the sexual organ of a child to contact or penetrate the mouth, anus, or sexual organ of another person, including the actor;

(D) causes the anus of a child to contact the mouth, anus, or sexual organ of another person, including the actor; or

(E) causes the mouth of a child to contact the anus or sexual organ of another person, including the actor.

Punishment for Sexual Assault of a Child

This is a 2nd degree felony in texas punishable between 2 and 20 years of prison and a fine not to exceed $10,000.  A person can be eligible for deferred adjudication or regular probation however it triggers lifetime sex offender registration.

Not Knowing the Age of the Child is Not a Defense

Statutory rape is what is known as a “strict liability offense.”  This means there is no necessary “mens rea” or culpable mental state needed to prosecute the offense.

Tex.Pen.C. 22.011(b) does require the crime be committed “intentionally or knowingly.”  This language refers to the physical acts themselves – not whether the actor knew the age of the complaining witness.

The legal reasoning which makes whether the actor knew the was under the age of consent irrelevant is because the state has such a heightened interest in protecting children – that courts believe it outweighs the defendant’s due process rights.

The “Romeo and Juliet” Defense

A more recent defense to sexual assault of a child is what is referred to as the “Romeo and Juliet” defense under Tex.Pen.C. 22.011(e)(2)(a).

This defense requires the following to be true:

  • The victim cannot younger than 14;
  • The defendant cannot be more than 3 years older than the victim;
  • The defendant cannot already be a sex offender;
  • the victim cannot be someone who legally could not marry the defendant.
  • The acts must be consensual

Other Defenses

The code provides other defenses to sexual assault of a child related to medical care and marriage.  Both are very specific as to what they require.

*Jeremy Rosenthal is certified in criminal law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.  He is recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters.

 

 


Sexual Abuse Charges – Blog 2: Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child and “Super” Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child

November 23, 2020

By Criminal Defense Lawyer Jeremy Rosenthal

jeremy@texasdefensefirm.com

(972) 369-0577

Today I’m continuing my blog series on Sexual Abuse Charges.  Here is a guide to this series of blogs on sexual abuse charges where you can find more information on today’s blog and other related topics.

What is Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child?

It is defined by Tex.Pen.C. 22.021(b).  Much of criminal law focuses on what we call Mens Rea – latin for “the guilty mind.”  This is to say there is a large focus on what defendant is intending through their actions.

In many sexual abuse cases – judges and juries are asked to figure out the intent of the defendant through their actions.

A good way to think of ASAC is the acts of sexual abuse define themselves.  In other words, you can infer the intent of the defendant through their actions alone.  My apologies in advance for the graphic nature, but Tex.Pen.C. 22.021(b) lists the following acts as Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child:

[A person] (i) causes the penetration of the anus or sexual organ of a child by any means;

(ii) causes the penetration of the mouth of a child by the sexual organ of the actor;

(iii) causes the sexual organ of a child to contact or penetrate the mouth, anus, or sexual organ of another person, including the actor;

(iv) causes the anus of a child to contact the mouth, anus, or sexual organ of another person, including the actor; or

(v) causes the mouth of a child to contact the anus or sexual organ of another person, including the actor;

As you can see by the descriptions, none of these actions are debatable that, if true, they constitute sexual assault.

What’s In a Name?

The name of the charge can be a bit confusing because it sounds like weapons, kidnapping or other extreme violence were involved in the allegation like they are with aggravated assault charges.

The term “aggravated” heightens and distinguishes the charges based on the child’s young age because it applies to children younger than 14.  Sexual assault of a child (non-aggravated) applies to children younger than 17.

There is an even higher charge than aggravated sexual assault of a child – and that is when a child aged 6 or younger is the victim.  This is commonly referred to as “Super” aggravated sexual assault of a child though the statute doesn’t bear the name.

Possible Punishment Ranges

  • Sexual Assault of a Child – 2 years to 20 years;
  • Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child – 5 years to 99 years or life;
  • “Super” Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child 6 years old or younger – 25 years to life (no parole).

ASAC is further confusing because it allows for deferred adjudication but not regular probation.  Translation – the only way you can get deferred adjudication probation is by pleading guilty and having the judge grant you deferred.

If a person is convicted of ASAC, either at a trial or from a guilty plea, then they must serve at least the minimum of 5 years in the Texas Department of Corrections.

A person convicted of ASAC is eligible for parole after 50% of their sentence is discharged.

Super ASAC has a minimum of 25 years with no possibility of parole, probation, or deferred adjudication.

All persons convicted or placed on deferred for any of these charges is subject to lifetime sex offender registration.

*Jeremy Rosenthal is certified in criminal law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.  He is designated as a Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters.