Long Island Indecent Exposure Attorney

Maybe you went to a party, drank a little too much, and found yourself arrested and charged with indecent exposure. Maybe you didn’t do anything, and you want to prove your innocence. You need a Long Island indecent exposure attorney who can explain your alibi or help to get your sentence reduced.

Issue With Indecent Exposure Charges

Indecent exposure can include revealing certain body parts in a place where it is considered morally or socially unacceptable to do so. A person can take their shirt off at the beach where it is considered fine, but the same activity near an Elementary School is considered inappropriate. It is best to assume that in all places and under all circumstances revealing one’s genital, buttocks, and a female’s breasts is always indecent exposure.

Whatever the circumstances, you may not be welcomed back to the place where the event took place. People who saw the event might look at you differently, and they might trust your morality less. And you won’t feel as comfortable in those places or around those people.

Now, imagine you are in your driveway washing your car, and you take your shirt off because it’s a hot day. You’re new to the area, where many families with children live, and a cop shows up at your house. You didn’t know your neighbors would find it offensive that you took your shirt off. It is unfortunate one of your neighbors called the cops and accused you of indecent exposure, instead of just asking you to put your shirt on. Now, you need to defend your morality in a court of law, or you need a Long Island indecent exposure attorney who you can trust to defend it for you.

There are moral factors to be considered in an indecent exposure case, and we will tell your story in a way that will help the judge understand you meant no wrong. As Long Island indecent exposure attorneys, we have more than 80 years of experience and are prepared to fight for you. Call today for a free consultation with one of our Suffolk County criminal defense lawyers. Our team can provide you with support and protection while working to achieve the best possible outcome for your case. But in order to have our representation, you need to make the call. Time is of the essence when it comes to criminal cases, so don’t wait any longer.

Indecent Exposure Charges

The first problem with defining indecent exposure laws is defining exactly what “indecent” means.  This word will vary greatly based on the environment where the act took place, and even the cultural background of the person who committed the so called offense. A problem is created when one who is unfamiliar with the law calls police to report “indecent exposure” for something that is not actually indecent, like a man with his shirt off.  As one might imagine, this type of purely innocent conduct can have negative implications for the person who is not technically guilty of the crime.

One of the most common reasons for a person being charged with New York indecent exposure is exposing the genitals on public property to answer the call of nature after one too many drinks.  Despite what the overzealous arresting officer may think, and contrary to what the overzealous prosecutor may charge, the law is not designed to punish simple transgressions as if they were major violations of law.  Our system of law exists to differentiate between minor transgressions and major offenses by allowing the accused  to tell their side of the story in an impartial court of law.

Think about it this way – would society benefit more from convicting the person who urinates outside of a bar at two in the morning or from convicting the person who walks onto a crowded playground in the middle of the day and exposes him or herself to the children present?  Undoubtedly, the intent of the legislature when they created the offense of indecent exposure was more likely to prevent the latter, not the former.

Indecent Exposure Penalties

Public lewdness is a Class B misdemeanor. A conviction is punishable by up to ninety days in jail. If you are charged with public lewdness in the state of New York, prosecutors will have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you deliberately exposed “private” parts of your body in lewd manner in a public place or in a manner that could be observed from a public place (such as from a window facing a street). However, if any physical contact is made between the defendant and another person, the defendant will likely face a much more serious charge of sexual assault. If you are convicted of sexual assault, one of the consequences is you will have to register on the sex offender registry. Indecent exposure is not classified as one of the sex crimes that requires the defendant to register on the sex offender registry.

New York has a breastfeeding exception written into the law, so a mother’s breastfeeding of her baby does not under any circumstance constitute indecent exposure. What about urinating in public? If you move out of direct public view, say behind a dumpster, it is probably not indecent exposure, because there is no motive for sexual arousal or gratification or for offending other persons. You still may be cited, however, for another charge such as criminal nuisance.

The best advice that anyone suspected of indecent exposure can take is to refuse to answer any questions from law enforcement, and to seek the advice of legal counsel right away.  If they say the wrong thing or otherwise make a comment that is misunderstood and misreported by interviewing law enforcement, the accused can end up facing much more serious charges than he or she may deserve.

Even if you are eventually acquitted, any arrest is an embarrassment, but an arrest for indecent exposure ranks high on the list of charges that can lead to derision from others, family problems, employment difficulties, and related issues. It may be difficult to find a business who is willing to hire someone with an indecent exposure conviction on their record. Your friends and family may turn their backs on you as a result of the case. You’ll be unwelcomed where previously you were comfortable in the community; people will trust you less.

Hire A Long Island Indecent Exposure Attorney

If you are charged in New York State with public lewdness, you have to be pro-active. Hire an experienced New York criminal defense attorney. A good criminal defense lawyer can represent a client in a number of effective ways: by seeking to have the charge reduced or dismissed; by discrediting the prosecution’s evidence and witnesses; or by moving to suppress evidence.

A good criminal defense lawyer will protect your legal rights, answer your questions, explain your legal options, and work to achieve the best possible outcome for your case. Don’t waste a minute; if you are charged in New York with public lewdness or any similar crime, please speak to an experienced criminal defense attorney immediately by calling our office or filling out the form on this site.