Can You Get Imprisoned for Talking to a Minor?

With the modern age of technology and social media, it has become easier for people to communicate with each other. However, it’s also become easier for people to pretend to be someone that they’re not.

And that includes talking to minors who have lied about their age. There’s no real way to verify the truth of who they say they are. So can you go to prison just for talking to a minor online?

Contacting a Minor For Criminal Purposes

Ordinarily, it is not a crime for an adult to speak with a minor online. The problem lies in whether you’re communicating with a minor with the intent to commit a crime. But the situation can become more complicated if a minor has lied about their age. That’s why it’s essential to contact a sex crimes lawyer to help protect you in the unfortunate event that such an occasion arises.

What Criminal Purposes Can Lead to Imprisonment?

You can be charged with a crime if you (over the age of 18) communicate with an individual who is under the age of 18 (or 16, depending on the state you live in), with the intent to commit one of the following felonies:

• child pornography offenses
• sending harmful material to a minor
• kidnapping
• forcible acts of sexual penetration
• child endangerment (knowingly acting in a way that is likely to injure a child’s physical, mental, or moral welfare)
• rape
• oral copulation with a minor
• sodomy
• lewd acts with a child

Complications arise where a minor has lied about their age, as then many of the above-listed points would not be felonies since you did not intend to become involved with a minor. However, many of these felonies are statutory by nature, meaning that intent is not required; the other party being a minor is enough to warrant imprisonment. The reason for the nature of these laws is for the ultimate protection of children.

What Is Illegal Contact?

Contact includes any communications that are made face-to-face, as well as those made over e-mail, letters, text messages, over the phone, computer, fax, or through a third person. In some states, you can still be charged with attempting to contact a minor if you send an e-mail to the wrong address, or if a text message was never opened or read.

Recourse After Imprisonment

In some cases, many offenders are required to register as sex offenders. Their names are placed on a sex offender registry, where their names, addresses, and crimes are listed. There are some rare cases where a person may not be required to register, depending on extenuating circumstances.

If you or a loved one has been charged with contacting a minor with the intent to commit a felony, then it’s important that you contact an attorney immediately. They may be able to provide you with the legal help that you need.