Sex Offender Convictions: It’s Not Just About Going to Jail

Facing any kind of criminal charge is tough. After all, your future lies at the mercy of a judge and jury. However, there’s something you should know. If you’re convicted as a sex offender, it’s not just about going to jail.  No doubt there will be more when it comes to your sentence.

Truth be told, some say those sex offenders have it worse than murderers in prison. If your conviction suggests you are a pedophile, things could get ugly for you. However, it doesn’t stop there.

Some complain that some sex offenders don’t get enough time behind bars. Remember the case of Brock Turner? He was the Stanford University swimmer convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman. Turner left jail after serving just three months of his sentence.

The Turner case happened in California and was subject to that state’s laws. New Jersey law requires those convicted of sex crimes to serve out at least 85 percent of their sentence. Even still, Turner would have been back on the streets within five months.

Once again, it’s not just incarceration that hits hard when it comes to sex offender convictions. It’s the rest that could have a lifetime impact.

Sex Offender Convictions: Other Penalties

More than likely, you’ve heard something about Megan’s Law. Although the law has national implications, it grew from a New Jersey case. In 1994, seven-year-old Megan Kanka was sexually assaulted and killed. Her mother campaigned for legislation requiring sex offenders to register.

The requirements regarding the registration of sex offenders appear in NJSA 2c:7-2. You must register as a sex offender if you are convicted, adjudicated delinquent, or found not guilty by reason of insanity for any of the following sex crimes:

• Aggravated sexual assault
• Sexual assault
• Aggravated criminal sexual contact
• Kidnapping
• Endangering the welfare of a child by engaging in sexual conduct
• Promoting prostitution of a child
• Luring or enticing
• Criminal restraint
• False imprisonment if the victim is a minor and the offender isn’t a parent of the victim

Meanwhile, you should know that New Jersey law applies a tier system to the level of your sex crime. There are different rankings, which take into account whether your conviction shows you to be “repetitive and compulsive” or not.

Depending on your conviction, you might ultimately seek to have your name removed from the registration list. However, you should know that its removal comes with conditions. And, you’ll have to wait fifteen years. Meanwhile, that’s not the only additional penalty convicted sex offenders face.

Parole Supervision for Life (PSL)

When Megan’s Law first came out, it included a provision for Community Supervision for Life (CSL). Ten years later, the law changed to Parole Supervision for Life.

As the name sounds, if your sex offender conviction suggests it is necessary, a parole officer provides you with supervision. This could mean dropping in on you, referring you to treatment programs, or restricting your internet access. And, that’s just the beginning.

Like the offender’s list, PSL may be limited to fifteen years. However, even after that time, it takes some work to end Parole Supervision for Life.

Contact Us

If you are accused of a sex crime, you face many penalties that could change your life. At the Law Offices of Anthony Carbone, we will listen to the circumstances of your case and help see you through the process. Contact us to schedule an appointment.

CALL NOW: 201-829-3829

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