Austin Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers

What is Sexual Assault?

Sexual assault is a very broadly defined term. It includes a wide array of charges and is penalized on just as wide a scale. This makes it somewhat difficult to say exactly what sexual assault is. Instead, it can be said that sexual assault is a term that encompasses many different crimes.

Rape is obviously the most well known form of sexual assault. When it comes to popular culture and its use of sex crimes, rape in some form is generally the most used crime. However, it is most certainly not the only one even if it is the most serious.

Sexual assault is often used to define the sex crimes that pick up where rape ends. This often means that if a sex crime is not technically a rape, it will be charged as a sexual assault. Unfortunately, it is also difficult to say where rape ends and sexual assault begins. It seems like every jurisdiction has its own definition of rape. Therefore, sexual assault is different in every jurisdiction as well.

It can be said, however, that sexual assault is not necessarily a lesser crime than rape. The crimes that do not qualify as rape, but boarder on it, are punished just as severely as rape. These charges get less severe the less serious the crime is.

Speak with an Austin Criminal Lawyer

Sexual assault can be confusing to understand. If you or someone you know is facing charges of sexual assault, contact the Austin criminal lawyer, Ian Inglis at 800589.1808.