Someone facing criminal charges may be aware they have the right to counsel, but they may not be aware their constitutional right is for effective assistance of counsel. What happens if counsel provides ineffective counsel and what exactly constitutes ineffective assistance of counsel? Maryland residents who have been following the post conviction relief trial of fellow Maryland resident Adnan Syed may not be aware of a few key points of the law regarding this.
What are the penalties for first degree sexual offenses?
In Maryland, sexual offenses are what other states term sexual assault. They are divided into four degrees of offensive sexual activity. If someone is facing charges relating to sexual offenses, it is very important to understand what one is being charged with as the law is complex and legal understanding is the best way to formulate an effective strategy.
What is sexual assault?
As mentioned on last week's blog post, a teacher was arrested and charged for committing various sex crimes, including sexual assault. Though all criminal charges should be taken seriously and carry harsh penalties, there are some crimes that carry with it a social stigma, even when one is eventually cleared on all charges. Sexual offenses, including sexual assault, are a crime that, even if one is accused of, they may end up with a tarnished reputation. This can affect not only their relationships with loved ones and employment opportunities, but getting placed on the sex offender's list may also limit where someone can reside. So it is important for Maryland residents to know what sexual assault entails.
Teacher arrested on sexual offenses for incident with student
Allegations of criminal activity can have long-term consequences that will influence a person's personal life, work life and every portion of his or her life. One of the most difficult charges to deal with is when being confronted with allegations of sexual offenses. These types of charges carry with them a stigma that can follow a person around indefinitely. It is with this in mind that people arrested need to formulate a strong defense as soon as the arrest is made.
