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8 - What is a Sex Crimes Specialist and why do I need one?
A sex crimes specialist is a prosecutor, public defender or privately retained criminal defense attorney who specializes in sex crimes. Many prosecuting agencies have divided their agency into specialized groups. For example, the Sex Crimes Bureau at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office specializes only in crimes that are sexual in nature. The prosecutors in that bureau receive specialized training which is mandated by the governor in order to allow them to prosecute sex crimes cases. Unlike the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, the Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office does not have a specialized Sex Crimes Bureau. This means that any attorney who works as a public defender may be assigned a sex crimes case as part of his or her general caseload, but does not guarantee that he or she has the same training and experience as the assigned prosecutor in your case. A privately retained criminal defense attorney may or may not have the experience needed to defend a sex crimes case. When shopping for a private criminal defense attorney, it’s important to ask about their qualifications in this specialized area of law.