Sexual Offender Registry Laws
What are Sexual Offender Registries?
Sexual Offender Registries are lists that states use to keep track of persons convicted of certain sexual abuse offenses and crimes. States are required to maintain the registries by federal law.
Who is Listed in Sexual Offender Registries?
Although different states use different criteria, generally the lists include persons convicted of:
- Misdemeanor child sexual abuse
- Felony child sexual abuse
- Certain violent sexual crimes
Who Has Access to Sexual Offender Registries?
States must make the lists available to:
- The police
- The victims
- Persons or groups that get permission from a judge
Some states have passed laws making the lists available to the public, and in other states, the lists are available because all state records are open to the public. In some cases, states' lists are available on-line.
What are the Effects of Sexual Offender Registries?
The purpose of these lists is to provide families with information about persons who may be a danger to their children, based on those person's past crimes.
Organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and some convicted sexual offenders have challenged the state laws on a number of grounds:
- Invasion of privacy: the lists give the public sex offenders' names and address
- Potential harassment: persons in sex offenders' communities may drive them out
- Stigma: makes sexual offenders' past crimes readily known to the public
Most state courts, however, have held that the public's interest in protecting the safety of its members outweighs any negative impact on sex offenders' interests.
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Last Modified: 09-29-2011 12:02 PM PDT
