Sex Crime (Noun)
Meaning
A statutory offense that provides that it is a crime to knowingly cause another person to engage in an unwanted sexual act by force or threat; "most states have replaced the common law definition of rape with statutes defining sexual assault".
Classification
Nouns denoting acts or actions.
Examples
- The police took the suspect into custody after allegations of a sex crime surfaced from multiple witnesses.
- A sex crime that occurs in prison is often underreported and rarely prosecuted because of a general reluctance by the victim to cooperate with the investigation.
- Many advocates argue that the burden of proof for sex crimes should be shifted so that if the perpetrator has sex with someone who says no then they are guilty.
- Lawyers defending clients accused of sex crimes often employ an "affirmative defense" claiming that the victim was fully aware of the perpetrator's intentions and voluntarily agreed to the sex.
- Increased reporting of sex crimes against children and the elderly, and more effective prosecution of these crimes, could lead to enhanced deterrents against future offenders.