Sexual Predator
Each Maryland law relating to sex offenses has standard and enhanced penalties. The legislature attempted to enhance penalties for people who are repeat offenders and/or who engage in heinous acts.
Aside from extremely tough prison and probation terms, the Maryland legislature determined that “sexual predators” have higher registration requirements. A person who is deemed a predator is thought to be a risk for committing a subsequent sexually violent offense based on the facts shown in prior cases and actions.
Over the last 10 years, the Maryland legislature has enhanced penalties for all sexual crimes, including for sexual predators. A sexual predator can be sentenced via any one of the Maryland sex offense statutes. The sole purpose is not to rehabilitate but to protect society and the community from these individuals. The thought process is not rehabilitation as much as it is for simple protection.
Who Is A Sexual Predator?
Calling someone a “sexual predator,” generally speaking, is unfair. It classifies an entire group of people who were convicted of some type of sex offense, no matter the circumstances, and have served their time. In Maryland, people often think of sexual predators” as those who are listed on the sex offender registry.
About Sexual Predator Laws
The term sexual predator has historically been confined to those who are believed to pose the greatest risk to the safety of others. In some cases, offenders are committed indefinitely, even after their prison sentences have been served.
But the term has increasingly been applied to anyone and everyone who has been accused of sexual abuse. Take these examples;
- Statutory rape. A young man only 18 or 19 years old could be classified as a sexual predator after a conviction for statutory rape arising out of consensual sex with his girlfriend.
- Sex offense registry. A google search for “sexual predator” currently pulls up local or national sex offender registries, implicating that anyone on those registries is a so-called predator.
Maryland does not have specific “Maryland predator laws” on the books; rather, the punishment upon conviction will depend on the nature of the accusations. The stigma, however, will be there no matter what.
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