Texas Penal Code Ch 43 codifies misdemeanor and felony offenses for criminal acts having to do with sexually related offenses. Specifically, it defines the following offenses and includes the corresponding charges:
- 43.02: Prostitution (class B misdemeanor to a second-degree felony)
- 43.03: Promotion of Prostitution (state jail felony to a second-degree felony)
- 43.04: Aggravated Promotion of Prostitution (second- or first-degree felony)
- 43.05: Compelling Prostitution (second- or first-degree felony)
- 43.22: Obscene Display or Distribution (class C misdemeanor)
- 43.23: Obscenity (class A misdemeanor to a second-degree felony)
- 43.24: Sale, Distribution, or Display of Harmful Material to Minor (class A misdemeanor or third-degree felony)
- 43.25: Sexual Performance by a Child (third- or second-degree felony)
- 43.251: Employment Harmful to Children (first-degree felony)
- 43.26: Possession or Promotion of Child Pornography (third- to first-degree felony)
- 43.261: Electronic Transmission of Certain Visual Material Depicting Minor (class C to class A misdemeanor)
- 43.262: Possession or Promotion of Lewd Visual Material Depicting Child (state jail felony to a second-degree felony)
Sexual Offenses in the Texas Penal Code
- Promoting, aggravated promoting, and compelling prostitution
- Video recordings depicting sexual acts or exposed intimate parts
- Indecent exposure
- Obscenity if an individual participates in an obscene performance or promotes or distributes obscene material
- Possession of child pornography
- Prohibited sexual conduct with a descendant, relative, or ancestor
- Public lewdness is described as engaging in sexual contact with a person, bird, or animal in a public place
- Voyeurism or observing another person without their consent
- Unlawful dissemination of intimate visual content including photographs, videotapes, recordings, and transmissions
Sexual Offenses Against Minors
Sexual offenses against minors include:
- Indecency with a minor
- Sex trafficking or compelling prostitution
- Sale, distribution, or display of sexually explicit material to a minor
- Sexual performance of a minor under eighteen years old
- Employment harmful to a minor under eighteen years old in a sexually oriented commercial enterprise
If you have been charged with a sexually related crime, the consequences can be anything from a first-degree felony to a class A or B misdemeanor.
There is a stigma attached to crimes of a sexual nature and the potential embarrassment and humiliation adds another layer of fear if you are facing this kind of charge.
We Can Help You Fight These Charges
If you are convicted of a sexually related crime under Texas law, you may be facing years in prison and many years, possibly a lifetime, on the sex offender registry. This can make it extremely hard to find employment in the future and you may be limited as to where you can live. The Texas criminal system may also demand that you commit to going to a sex offender treatment facility after you serve your prison sentence.
Your reputation and family can be destroyed if you are convicted of a sex crime, so you want a strong defense to fight against these charges.
If you have been charged with a sex crime in Texas, call the Law Offices of Randall B. Isenberg at (214) 696-9253 for a free consultation and case review. You still have rights and are entitled to a strong and effective defense. Randall is board certified in criminal defense and is a former state district judge and former chief felony prosecutor, so he knows how to help.
