3. The Well-Being of Your Children
It’s not easy for kids to express their emotions when they’re frustrated by everyday challenges, much less when they’ve been told their father is going to spend the next several years behind bars. Your potty-trained toddler may start wetting the bed. Your pre-teen son may act out by becoming increasingly aggressive or defiant. Your teen daughter may seek male attention in inappropriate and possibly unsafe ways.
Of course, the emotional turmoil associated with having a parent in prison will undoubtedly affect your child's ability to focus on their studies. The honor student you were once so proud of may suddenly be in danger of having to repeat a grade. The college fund you started with dreams of having your child attend a prestigious Ivy League school may need to be used to pay for summer school or remedial tutoring services. In extreme cases, you may even find that your child drops out of school altogether.
Even if your son or daughter is one of the most popular kids in their class, there’s a strong chance they’ll face social stigma and discrimination from their peers due to your incarceration. Information about your case and conviction will be readily accessible to anyone with an internet connection—making your child a target for bullies with an axe to grind.
4. Your Relationship With Your Spouse
Why do relationships end? Lack of intimacy? Financial stress? Lack of communication? Inability to spend quality time together? Even if you felt like your relationship was on solid ground before, a prison sentence will undoubtedly introduce all of these risk factors.
If you end up getting a divorce while you’re behind bars, good luck getting a fair settlement. Oklahoma divides marital property using the equitable distribution rule, which means the judge can consider any circumstances they want to conclude that a less than 50/50 split is appropriate. Your right to visitation is also likely to be affected, as you’ll need someone who is willing to bring your children to the prison for visitation.
5. Your Reputation in the Community
If you’re convicted of an Oklahoma sex crime, the reputation you’ve worked a lifetime to build will be destroyed by gossip. People who don’t know your side of the story will be making judgments—and spreading lies—to make themselves seem more important or to provide momentary relief from the tediousness of their daily lives. It may be that you were falsely accused of rape after a bad breakup, but that’s not going to matter if your mugshot shows up when your boss, co-worker, neighbor, or college roommate logs on to their favorite social media site.
While some of your friends and family may rush to defend your honor, others will start to question if the rumors are true. Since you won’t be around to provide any reassurance, they may determine that you simply weren’t the man they thought you were.
You Deserve a Fighting Chance
At Berlin Defense, we know that good people can make mistakes. That’s why we defend our clients without judgment. You may have been falsely accused of committing a serious felony sex offense such as rape or solicitation of a minor—or maybe you actually did it. I can help you either way. Check out our case results and client testimonials to learn more about why Berlin Defense is the right choice to help you move forward.