A bill to be considered by members of the Texas Senate, Senate Bill 407, would allow for sexting charges to be expunged from a minor’s record.  Expunction is when certain criminal charges are permanently removed from one’s criminal record.

Currently, sexting, or sending explicit photos in a text message, can result in a third-degree felony charge.  In Texas, individuals under the age of 18-years old caught sexting could legally have to pay up to $10,000 in fines and could even be sentenced to prison for anywhere from 2 to 10 years.  In addition, they may have to be listed as registered sex offenders.  All of these punishments are as a result of the fact that Texas laws classify sexting as a sex crime at the same level as a crime like child pornography.

The new bill would decrease the weight of a sexting charge to a Class C misdemeanor for minors facing their first sexting charge.  Violators would be required to attend an “anti-sexting” class with a parent and could have the charge expunged if they do not commit a second offense.

Contact the Dallas expunction lawyer, Mark T. Lassiter, at 214-845-7007 today, if your or someone you know has questions about having criminal charges removed from your record.