If you are the subject of an investigation or a sex crime charge, you need to find an experienced lawyer who is familiar with criminal defense to help you avoid a criminal record and get on the sex offender registry. Brian G. Hiatt, an attorney, understands Illinois` consent law and is ready to fight for your rights and with your best interests in mind. Other states involve a different method that, like federal law, takes into account the relative age of the two people. In these states, such as Texas, the age of consent is determined by the age differences between the two individuals and limited by a minimum age. For example, a state could set a minimum age of 14, but limit consent to partners who are less than 3 years of their age. This would allow a sixteen-year-old to legally have sex with a fourteen-year-old, but would make it a crime for an eighteen-year-old to have sex with the same fourteen-year-old. For example, an 18-year-old high school graduate who has sex with a 16-year-old high school student could be convicted of criminal sexual abuse. The 16-year-old has not reached the legal age to consent. In Illinois, if a person commits a sexual act with a person under the age of 17 but over the age of 13, and the person is less than 5 years older than the minor, they are guilty of criminal sexual abuse – even if both participants believed the sex was consensual. In Illinois, the older partner may also be required to register as a sex offender. Much of the evidence in age of consent cases tends to be circumstantial evidence. Based on the specific details of your case and the strength of the prosecution`s evidence, former prosecutor Steven Haney will advise you on your legal options and give you his best recommendation regarding negotiating a plea or fighting the charges in court.
The other crime that can be charged in situations where a person has sex with a minor is criminal sexual assault. This is defined as penetrative sex with someone without their consent. If they are in the state below the age of consent, then even if they tell you yes, it does not legally count as consent – because they are not considered legally capable of giving it. Third, consider getting married. Parents must accept the marriage of 16- and 17-year-olds. A marriage with parental consent should end all accusations of sexual abuse. In the state of Illinois, there is an age of consent. This age is 17 years. This means that anyone over the age of 17 can freely engage in sexual activities with a partner, but anyone under that age is considered legally incapable of giving consent.
Sexual relations with them can lead to criminal charges of sexual crimes. Under Illinois law, the age of consent for any type of sexual activity is generally 17. This means that people under the age of 17 cannot legitimately consent to any type of sexual act involving sexual behaviour. Sexual behavior is to touch one sexual organ of another. Voluntary sexual activity with a person under the age of 17 is not “consensual” sexual activity as far as Illinois law is concerned. At this age, “consent” is a legal term, not a factual one. To be honest, a 17-year-old boyfriend who touches his 16-year-old girlfriend`s breasts for his sexual gratification has committed a sex crime that could put him on Illinois` sex offender registration list. In fact, any voluntary sexual activity between two 16-year-olds could put both on the sex offender registration list. Such sexual activity is a crime for which both could be prosecuted if there was mutual sexual behavior because the “age of consent” has not been reached. In Illinois and across the country, drug and alcohol-related sexual assaults can be among the most difficult to prosecute.
Memory loss due to drugs or alcohol, as well as the consent issues surrounding these cases, make them difficult. Examples of the legal age of consent of different states: We`ve all heard the saying that “age is just a number” or a similar feeling. While this saying may apply to some couples, age can become very important when it comes to sex, and it can be the deciding factor in whether or not you are committing a crime. Age of consent laws have been enacted to prevent children and adolescents from being exploited, and these laws vary from state to state.
