What’s Considered Indecent Exposure?

If you are accused of indecent exposure, you are surely suffering from the embarrassment of such an allegation. Indecent exposure is considered a sex offense that could expose you to registering as a sex offender as well as other collateral consequences. This sort of charge comes with stigma and stress to the extent that it may overwhelm you and place you in fear of losing your job, alienate your loved ones, and could ruin your life.

Truthfully, however, this type of charge is much more common than you may think, and it may be that you are not guilty of the crime as charged.

A person commits indecent exposure, if:

“He or she knowingly exposes his or her genitals to the view of any person under circumstances in which such conduct is likely to cause affront or alarm to the other person with the intent to arouse or to satisfy the sexual desire of any person,” or

“He or she knowingly performs an act of masturbation in a manner which exposes the act to the view of any person under circumstances in which such conduct is likely to cause affront or alarm to the other person.”

This definition may seem as if someone saw your genitals in public that you are guilty of this charge.

The prosecution, however, must prove this charge by showing that when someone does an act of indecent exposure he/she knows that his/her conduct is “likely to cause affront or alarm” to someone or that he/she is knowingly exposing someone to the “act or to the view of any person.”

Those legal provisions are a term of art that require a serious and experienced criminal law attorney who has the know-how to handle your case.