There are numerous sex crimes in Mississippi with a variety of sentencing options.
The list includes, but is not limited to:
Statutory rape is having sex with a child who is at least 14 but under 16 years of age, or with a child who is not a spouse and is 3 years younger, and the defendant is 17 years of age or older. The age of consent in Mississippi is 16. Consent or the victim’s lack of chastity is not a defense to statutory rape.
Rape is forcing another to have sex or having sex with a person who has been given drugs or alcohol, which prevents them from consenting to sex. A victim’s lack of chastity may be a defense to rape if it affects the victim’s credibility on the issue of rape.
Sexual Battery: sexual penetration of:
- another person without consent; or
- A mentally defective/incapacitated or physically helpless person; or
- A child who is at least 14, but under 16 years of age; or
- A child who is 3 years younger than the defendant; or
- A child who is under 14 years of age (unless the defendant is within 2 years of the victim’s age); or
- A child under 18 and the defendant is an authority figure (such as a teacher, counselor, physician, legal guardian, parent, coach, etc.)
Sentences on these types of offenses can range from 5 years in prison up to life in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, and registry up to life as a sex offender. These prison sentences are “day for day,” which means that the defendant serves 100% of his or her sentence.
If you have been charged with a sex offense, please call us at (601) 544-1313. We have handled these cases for 25 years and we know the ramifications these allegations, particularly if they are false, can have on your life. Victims who lie diminish the system for true victims of sexual assault and should be punished. Unfortunately, we live in a system with tunnel vision when someone yells rape.
If you have been sexually assaulted, report this to your local police department in the county in which the crime occurred. Additionally, you should seek counseling and contact the sexual assault hotline. The Hattiesburg number is (601) 264-7078.