Texas Continuous Sexual Abuse Charges
If someone accuses you of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, then you are facing the most serious criminal charge other than Capital Murder. In most cases, if the State convicts someone of this charge, then they will die in prison. The point here is not to scare you. Rather, you need to understand that you cannot waste any time letting these allegations get out of hand. You need to act immediately to get the best possible defense team investigating and building a defense. Our firm has handled countless people accused of continuous sexual abuse. We have never had a client found guilty of that charge. Obviously, every case is different, and we cannot predict the outcome of a case. However, we have a record that demonstrates our ability and willingness to do what it takes to provide a world class defense in these cases.
What is Continuous Sexual Abuse of Young Child?
For practical purposes, Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child is an accusation that a person sexually assaulted a child or children under the age of 14, and at least two of those sexual acts took place at least 30 days apart. You can find the elements of the charge in Texas Penal Code Section 21.02.
What is the Punishment for Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child?
Criminal lawyers often refer to this charge as a “super aggravated offense.” Notice, this is different than “aggravated offenses.” Generally, a person is eligible for parole in half time. Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child under 14 is punishable by 25 years to 99 years or Life (No Parole). That means if a person is convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, then the minimum prison sentence is 25 years and it goes up from there. There is no early release. Someone convicted of this charge will have to serve every day of their sentence or die before the sentence is served.
A second conviction of continuous sexual assault of a child is punished by life in prison without the possibility of parole. We often refer to this as “Auto Life.”
