DC Solicitation Penalties
If you are arrested and charged with solicitation in Washington, DC the following is what you should expect according to a DC solicitation lawyer. This includes potential penalties, long term implications, and how these types of cases are treated by prosecutors and judges in the area. If you are already facing solicitation charges or would like to learn more, call today and schedule a free consultation with an experienced legal representative today.
What To Expect From a First Time Solicitation Charge
A person who is charged for the first time with solicitation would expect that once they’ve been arrested, it takes about 2-3 hours to get booked, processed and released. They would be told to come back for an arraignment hearing about three weeks later. There is no bail in DC, but they are required to appear for the arraignment, where they’ll be read what their charges are and asked to enter a plea. At your arraignment, you have the option of bringing a privately hired lawyer with you. If you don’t, a court-appointed lawyer would be present to handle your arraignment. You would be asked to return to court for a second hearing, called a status hearing, four weeks later.
How Does DC Treat Solicitation Cases?
Even though it seems very harsh that police make a large number of arrests on these cases, the United States Attorney’s Office who prosecute them typically wants to to try and work out resolutions so that they do not have to take every case all the way to a trial. That means defendants can often take advantage of diversion agreements that allow a person to complete community service in exchange for the dismissal of your charges.
Penalties for Solicitation of Prostitution in DC
Solicitation is a misdemeanor in DC. A first offense carries a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail. For a second offense the maximum penalty you can get is 180 days in jail. If you have two or more prior solicitation charges then you can actually receive a felony charge with up to two years of jail time.
Long Term Implications of a Conviction for Solicitation
If you’re convicted then your charge will stay on your record for at least eight years, at which point you might be eligible to expunge your record. However even during that time before it’s been expunged you have the consequences of the embarrassment of having a solicitation conviction on your record, a possible loss of your job and the possible loss of a security clearance in the event that you work for the government or a government contractor.