There is perhaps no sort of crime that brings about such an emotional and immediate reaction as a sex crime. A violation of a person’s privacy in a very hostile way often causes a public outcry and swift action by the justice system is to be expected. Once public opinion has made up its mind, it is very hard to change things for the better.
However, if you or a loved one has been wrongfully convicted of a sex crime, do not accept this false charge. A sex crime conviction will change your life forever and make life far more difficult in the decades ahead. Not only do sex crime convictions carry jail time and financial fines, it will put you on the sex offender’s registry. This national database lists your address and photo so that anyone and everyone will know your crime. Moreover, potential employers and school admissions boards will see this on your record as well. One sex crime conviction can stall your life plans dramatically.
Sex crimes come in a number of varieties, including:
You will need a legal team who has fought and won many sex crime cases. It requires careful, meticulous effort to win a sex crime case merely because of the nature of the charge.
It can be very difficult to prove innocence in a sex crimes case. Eye witness testimony is usually only between the accuser and the accused, not exactly unbiased sources. Moreover, the entire trial is colored by public opinion as well as the court’s own bias. A sex crime should be punished, but this can end with the court’s own vigor for justice going too far.
Particularly in sex crime cases, prosecutors look to lock away offenders as fast as possible. Sex crimes often ignite the public’s desire for justice. As the representative of the people, the prosecution can unintentionally decide the case in their head before they have presented their case.
On top of that, there can always be issues with evidence presented during trial. You want to make sure you have a legal team with the expertise and experience to fully investigate each piece of evidence, how it was obtained, and what it can mean for your case. Grabel & Associates can provide you with the expert defense needed to appeal these cases.
The first and simplest thing to appeal is the length of your sentence. For sex crimes, the courts tend to go to the max sentencing possible by default. Pressing a little on the court’s better senses can greatly reduce the term you will serve.
A common tool in the prosecution’s kit to get a conviction is getting a guilty plea from the accused in exchange for a deal. This usually manifests as reduced sentencing, lighter charges, or other allowances. However, if you plead guilty for a deal and the prosecution did not fulfill their end of the bargain, it is very possible to get the guilty plea thrown out in court. This sort of misconduct is very easy to catch and a veteran legal team can take advantage of that.
One other option is to move to have a new trial or have a continuance of your present trial. New evidence, developments in witness testimony, or other factors surrounding your charges can be used to argue for an extended trial. To get a new trial altogether is more complicated and means switching lawyers. It is called a Ginther Hearing. A Ginther Hearing is a plea to the court that your legal representative during the trial was incompetent in defending your innocence. You will have to argue this to the court. We recommend working with your new legal team to put together your case for the hearing.
The last appeals option is substantially more difficult with sex crimes and sometimes impossible depending on the nature of your conviction. You can appeal after you have served your time to have the crime expunged from your record. This would mean that background checks would show expunged criminal charges or no criminal charge at all. However, this is a sex crime and the Sex Offender’s Registry is very difficult to be removed from if you have been convicted and have served the time. That said, a strong legal team can fight their hardest for you and do their best to wipe your record clean.
If you live in Morrice, Burns Township, Caledonia Township, Marion Township, Tyrone Township, Putnam Township or in any other city in Livingston or Shiawassee Counties, then you will be working in the Fourth District of Appeals. There are four Clerk Office districts total, and your Clerk Office and courtroom will be located in Lansing. Check out this map for more information.
The address for the Lansing Court of Appeals is here:
Hall of Justice
925 W. Ottawa St.
P.O. Box 30022
Lansing, MI 48909
District Clerk's number: (517)373-0786
District Commissioner's Office: (517)373-0786
You will find the Clerk's Office and the courtrooms on the second floor.
When appealing sex crime charges, it is an absolute must to have a strong legal team. Sex crime charges will permanently alter your life for the worse. Do not take these false charges and throw your goals upside down, call the attorneys of Grabel & Associates right now. We have over a century of legal experience between our attorneys. Call us at 1-800-342-7896 for a free consultation or contact us online. We can start building your appeal from the moment you call.