Often sexual assault is known as rape but there is a broader angle to look into. Ideally, it is forcing or coercing someone to engage in any sexual penetration or non-consensual sexual contact. The Criminal Sexual Conduct Act in Michigan is the law associated with sexual assaults. The act is a gender-neutral act as it includes all types of sexual assaults, including martial, stranger, child, acquaintance, and date.
There are at least four types or degrees of criminal sexual assault, and as per the law, each of them has been stated in detail. Here in this thread, we will discuss in brief the four degrees.
The first and three degrees include forced penetration like vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse or putting any object or finger in an individual’s genital parts. The second and fourth degrees include forced or coerced sexual acts, and it includes touching a person’s genital area, groin, inner thighs, and clothing covering the genital parts, breasts, or buttocks. Depending on the circumstance, the situation is bracketed into one of these four degrees, and accordingly, the individual responsible for it is punished.
The seriousness of the crime is mainly dependent on several factors, including more than one assault, a physical injury other than sexual crime, a weapon, or some surprise element. The criminal assault charges are pretty serious if the victim is aged 13 or less and the assailant is a member of the victim’s family, including teacher, clergy, or medical professional.
Michigan Sex Offender Registry
Besides, huge fines and court fees and the lengthy prison tenure that the assailants face for the sexual crimes are an issue for Michigan’s public sex Offender Registry. The law needs almost every individual convicted of a sex crime as an offender on the Sex Offender Registry state wide. The data is accessible by the public that means everyone with internet access can know what crimes have been convicted.
If someone is on the Michigan Sex Offender Registry, their lives will change drastically as it is worse than staying in jail. The authorities here are very strict, and this is one offense out of the many offenses which are taken very seriously without any doubt. Being on the register might also hamper your chances to get a good job or your future relationships. There is a background check that is done wherever you apply; hence, it creates a black mark on your life.