Darien Sexting Lawyer

Exchanging compromising photos, even between minors, is a crime in Connecticut. If your child is accused of “sexting” in Darien, you should still strongly consider retaining a knowledgeable sexting defense lawyer.  A dedicated sex crimes attorney could work to mitigate the sanctions this charge could lead to and minimize the impact this incident has on your child’s future.

How Does State Law Address “Sexting” Between Minors?

In the interest of discouraging minors from creating or possessing images that legally constitute child pornography, Connecticut General Statutes §53a-196h prohibits anyone under the age of 16 from sending to other minors via an electronic communication device any “visual depiction of child pornography” in which they are the subject, or knowingly receiving such images themselves. This statute specifically applies to recipients between 13 and 18 years of age, and subjects between 13 and 16 years of age.

Importantly, the presence of “consent” between the two parties involved in this kind of exchange is considered irrelevant under current state law. Since minors legally cannot consent to any kind of sexual activity, they likewise cannot “consent” in legal terms to creating, sending, or receiving sexually explicit images of themselves, so sexting between minors is always a criminal offense. A Darien sexting attorney could explain in further detail the circumstances under which this section of state law might apply.

What Consequences Could Come from a Conviction?

State legislators instituted the prohibition on teenage sexting in C.G.S. §53a-196h primarily to protect teenagers from making poor decisions as minors that might come back to haunt them as adults. However, it also serves a second important purpose by differentiating minors exchanging sexually explicit images of themselves from the much more severe offense of adults possessing and/or creating child pornography. If you are facing charges for possession of child pornography, click here to learn more.

Unlike adult possession of child pornography, which is a serious felony offense, a violation of C.G.S. §53a-196h is only a class A misdemeanor. Furthermore, most minors charged with this or any other criminal offense will have their cases heard in juvenile court, meaning that they would typically be subject to more age-appropriate sanctions like probation rather than jail time and thousands of dollars in fines.

That being said, a single criminal conviction or juvenile adjudication could have significant repercussions for a minor down the road, even if they have no record of any other criminal offenses. A qualified sexting lawyer in Darien could play a crucial role in ensuring this one mistake does not cause undue harm to a minor’s future and reputation.

Get in Touch with a Darien Sexting Attorney

If your child is convicted of this offense, they may face numerous consequences in juvenile court or even prosecution in adult criminal court for a misdemeanor offense.

Fortunately, help is available from a Darien sexting lawyer who has helped individuals in similar situations handle cases just like yours. Click here to read out reviews from prior clients on Avvo.com. Then, give us a call today.

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