Indecent exposure can land you in hot water with the law. Even if you’re not exposing yourself to a minor or others, if you’re caught in public, you could be accused of sex offenses and even put on the sex offender registry.
That’s not fair when your intentions weren’t to cause a problem or weren’t sexual in nature. Of course, what you were doing when caught can make a difference. Were you simply naked at night, trying to get back into a house or out of a pool? That probably wouldn’t be as serious as if you were exposing yourself for arousal or to offend another person.
Indecent exposure sentences can vary, but the first time you’re charged will normally be the most lenient. You’ll normally face a misdemeanor penalty and could risk going to jail and being fined. Second offenses can lead to felony charges, and from there, the sentences only get more severe. In some situations, you could be forced to register on the sex offender registry, even if your indecent exposure wasn’t sexually charged.
If you work with your attorney, creating a defense is your best option to make this charge go away or to have the penalties reduced. It doesn’t make sense for you to have to be on a sex offender registry for something that wasn’t sexual, just as you shouldn’t necessarily have to go to jail if you weren’t trying to expose yourself. Our website has more information on indecent exposure, so you can learn about the kinds of defenses that may work in your case.