What You Need To Know About Sexual Assault In Utah

How Common Is Sexual Assault in Utah?

According to the Utah Department of Public Safety, there were just over 5,400 reports of sexual assault in 2022. That number comes from adding the different crimes reported that fit under the sexual assault umbrella.

In a 2007 survey by the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, 28.9% of women who responded said they had experienced sexual assault and 17.3% said they were raped.

Utah’s Punishments For Sexual Assault

The punishment that follows a sexual assault conviction depends on the details of the assault.

Here are a few of the biggest ones:

Rape: A person commits this crime when they have sexual intercourse without the consent of the other person. It is a first degree felony, which means prison time of five years to life and a possible fine of up to $10,000. However, the sentence can be bumped up to 15 years to life if the perpetrator caused serious bodily injury.

Forcible Sodomy: A person commits this crime when they force their genitals on either the mouth or anus of another person without consent. Like rape, this is a first-degree felony, and the sentence can be bumped up to 15 years to life if the perpetrator caused serious bodily injury.

Sexual Battery: A person commits this crime when they touch another person’s private parts in a way that would cause alarm to the person being touched. This crime is a class A misdemeanor, meaning up to 364 days in jail and a possible fine of up to $2,500.

What If Someone Makes a False Report?

When it comes to sexual assault, false reports do occur. They have been estimated to be 2-10% of reported cases. In fact, more than half of all wrongful convictions can be traced back to a false allegation or false testimony. Further the National Registry of Exonerations found that a Black person incarcerated for sexual assault is three-and-a-half times more likely to be innocent than a white person convicted of sexual assault.

Brown, Bradshaw & Moffat have seen many false reports in their practice. In fact, the law firm has successfully helped people get acquitted and recover the monetary losses that resulted from them.

If you have been accused of sexual assault, they would be able to help you too. For a free consultation, call (801) 532-5297.

Sources:

brownbradshaw.com/posts/10-most-common-crimes-utah
worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/rape-statistics-by-state
app.powerbigov.us/view?r=eyJrIjoiMjNhMTE2MTYtNDc2Ni00YTU1LWE4N2QtNjJmMTFiNzA1NTFmIiwidCI6ImFkZjY2ZWIyLWZjY2YtNDE3My1iZjQ0LTNmNzY3MzBhYTg5ZSJ9&pageName=ReportSectiona9709fc30e95d8951d46
rainn.org/statistics/criminal-justice-system
justice.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/RapeinUtah2007.pdf
le.utah.gov/xcode/Title76/Chapter5/76-5-S402.html?v=C76-5-S402_2022050420220504
utcourts.gov/en/self-help/case-categories/criminal-justice/penalties.html
le.utah.gov/xcode/Title76/Chapter5/76-5-S403.html?v=C76-5-S403_2022050420220504
le.utah.gov/xcode/Title76/Chapter9/76-9-S702.1.html
brown.edu/campus-life/health/services/promotion/sexual-assault-dating-violence/myths-about-sexual-assault-reports

Different Types Of Homicide In Utah

Utah has a reputation of being one of the safest states in the nation, and the data backs it up. According to the CDC, the Beehive State has the eighth lowest rate of homicides at 2.7 per 100,000 people in 2021. That number equates to 91 total cases in one year. While that is relatively low, it doesn’t mean the state is completely risk free.

Be Aware of These 15 Offenses Against the Administration of Government During Your Criminal Proceedings

If you have been charged with a crime, the last thing you want to do is commit another crime in the process of your criminal procedure. There is a whole world of crimes that can be committed in the process of working with the government through your criminal procedure. Below are only summaries of the Utah code. For the full details of each offense, you can visit the offenses against the administration of government section (76-8-5).

How Much Trouble You Can Get For Destruction of Property In Utah

Let’s say you are are in the middle of a heated conflict. Your coworker is making you mad and vice versa. You are at a point where you want to hurt him, but you want to do it in a way that won’t cause physical pain. You justify in your mind that because you won’t assault him, it’s okay.So one night, you break into his home and destroy his beautiful flat screen TV. It’s a nice setup, but you think it will be okay. You know that he makes a lot more than you, and he’ll be able to afford a new one.This is a bad idea. Not only would you likely get fired over this kind of thing, you would have committed a couple of very serious crimes including destruction of property, which is one of the 10 most common crimes in Utah.