There are certain sex crimes that will require registration as a sex offender after a conviction. The goal of this requirement is that the public is made aware of the individual's presence in their community, creating a safer environment. If you are convicted of certain crimes, the situation will be very unpleasant and even dangerous in some cases. As your name, address, photograph and the crime or crimes for which you were convicted are all easily accessed through the internet, and you can be identified quickly by your neighbors in the community.

While this may appear as a safety measure for the general population, the convicted individual is often treated as a social pariah. Some towns or cities have held neighborhood protests to try to force a convicted sex offender to move out of the area. While no one wants a dangerous criminal in their midst, it can be assumed that the convicted individual will have their lives permanently altered if required to register as a sex offender. For cases of conviction on sexual battery, procuring a person under age 18 for prostitution, the "selling or buying" of minors into prostitution, cases of lewdness and indecent exposure committed when children are present, lewd and lascivious molestation of children under the age of 16, video voyeurism and many other crimes include the requirement to register as a sex offender under state law.

Any person accused of a sex crime is at real risk of the destruction of their personal and professional reputation, loss of freedoms and in some cases GPS monitoring. The first action to take if you are the target of a criminal investigation involving a sex offense or have already been taken into custody and charged, is to contact a highly skilled St. Augustine criminal defense lawyer to protect your rights and interests. A full evaluation of the situation and the evidence should be undertaken by your defense counsel at once. As a conviction is likely to include incarceration, fines, treatment and other penalties, it is crucial that you have a highly skilled criminal trial lawyer on your side throughout every step of the process.

The legal team at Taylor & Waldrophas extensive trial experience in difficult criminal trials, including sex offenses. The firm is highly professional and has a long history of successful criminal trial work. They serve the criminal accused in sex crime cases throughout St. Augustine and the rest of St. Johns County.