Aside from lengthy prison sentences and steep fines, one of the most devastating penalties you face if convicted of a sex crime in California is registration as a sex offender. Your status and information about your conviction will be available to the public, specifically on the California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) “Megan’s Law” website.
In the past, a conviction for any sex offense resulted in lifetime registration. But beginning in 2021, a new law (SB 384) mandates sex offenders to be distinguished by the severity of their crime based on specific tiers.
Tier 1 crimes require a 10-year registration for non-violent misdemeanor and felony crimes. Tier 2 crimes require 20-year registration for serious or violent felons. Tier 3 crimes are subject to lifetime registration, typically for those who commit the highest-level sex crimes and repeat offenders.
Tier one level crimes include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Misdemeanor and felony sexual battery
- Misdemeanor and felony sodomy where there is no force
- Misdemeanor and felony oral copulation
- Misdemeanor child pornography
- First-offense annoying a child
- Indecent exposure
Tier two level crimes include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Sodomy with a minor
- Oral copulation with a minor
- Lewd acts with a minor
- Contacting a minor with intent to commit a felony
- Acts of penetration with a foreign object
- Second-offense annoying a child
- Incest
Tier three level crimes include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Rape
- Murder committed during the commission or attempted commission of rape or another sexual act without consent
- Kidnapping committed during the commission or attempted commission of rape or another sexual act without consent
- Felony sexual battery
- Spousal rape by force
- Sex trafficking children
- Aggravated sexual assault of a minor
- Pimping and pandering with a minor
- Taking away a minor for purpose of prostitution
- Sodomy by force
- Oral copulation by force
- Acts of penetration with a foreign object by force
- Lewd acts with a minor
- Arranging to meet with a minor for lewd purposes
- Child pornography
If you have been accused of a sex crime in Santa Barbara, it is in your best interest to seek an experienced criminal defense lawyer to protect your rights and future. With more than 40 years of experience, Appel & Morse can evaluate your case and determine the best course of legal action in order to get the most favorable results possible.
For more information, contact us today.