Displaying items by tag: Statutory Rape

As previously discussed on this Wisconsin criminal defense legal blog, the age of consent in Wisconsin is 18 years of age. That means that it is illegal for a person to have sex with anyone who has not yet attained their 18th birthday. Doing so and being charged with statutory rape may have serious and irreversible consequences for the alleged perpetrator's future.

The authorities in every state agree that minors cannot legally consent to sexual activity, and therefore any sexual activity between an adult and a minor is statutory rape. Beyond that baseline however, the states vary widely in how their laws deal with the issues involved, and sometimes these laws change over time.

Statutory rape occurs when a person has sex with someone who is under the age of consent. Wisconsin's age of consent is 18. Prosecutions for sexual assault of a minor can have serious consequences.

Plea negotiations are an expected part of most criminal prosecutions. However, the state Supreme Court is reviewing an appeal of a plea deal in a statutory rape case where wrong information was provided to the defendant. This case may be important not only for a sexual assault of a minor criminal defense attorney but for most defendants.