Articles Posted in Sexual Assault

By itself, sexual assault is a serious crime with grave consequences. In Colorado, criminal sexual assault is defined as sexual penetration when any of the following elements exist: You used force or the threat of force You had knowledge that the victim did not understand the nature of sex or was not able to consent…

If you are facing a sex crime charge or worried that an accusation might be coming, one of the biggest questions on your mind is probably whether or not you could have to register as a sex offender in Illinois. As consequences go, being on the sex offender registry is one of the worst ongoing…

When you hear about sexual assault cases on television, you may notice reporters using various terms for similar charges: “rape,” “sexual assault,” “sexual abuse,” etc. Each state has different definitions and charges for sexual assault crimes. If you are charged with any sort of sex crime here in Illinois, it is crucial to know what…

Sexual assault penalties often make headlines for not being tough enough. The six-month sentence assigned to Brock Turner, for example, caused rage throughout the country. Compare that to two men from Illinois who were recently sentenced to 18 years behind bars for sexually assaulting a woman who was barely conscious. A third man was involved…

By now, whether you live here in Chicago or anywhere else in the United States, you’ve probably heard that multiple victims have accused Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert of sexual assault. Last year, Hastert was sentenced to 15 months in a federal prison for bank fraud, which was connected to allegations that, over…

In our state, there are certain crimes that warrant a life sentence. These crimes are considered Class X felonies. The list of Class X felonies is small, and mainly limited to homicide-related crimes. However, certain sexual assault charges also make the list, such as aggravated criminal sexual assault. This is the charge that a massage…

After multiple court cases involving sexual violence have sparked national outrage, the penalties and treatment of sexual violence victims (as well as offenders) has become a hot-button topic of discussion in recent months. Many of these discussions focus specifically on sexual assaults on college campuses. Statistics say that 1 in 4 women will experience some…

Fifteen arrest warrants were issued last week for non-compliant sex offenders in Lake County. The sex offenders, who reside in the suburbs of northern Illinois, have failed to follow the rules for registering with the police. In many cases, the offenders are wanted to failure to appear because they did not physically show up to…

“In the criminal justice system, sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous.” Sound familiar? We’ve all heard the opening line to the hit television show, Law & Order: SVU. Sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous, and in Illinois, along with the rest of the country, those convicted of sex crimes will face severe punishments…

In Illinois, criminal sexual abuse and criminal sexual assault are both felonies. There is a lot of discussion on the difference between the two during sentencing, however, because one is a much higher “level” felony, which generally means more time behind bars. If you or someone you know is being charged with criminal sexual abuse…