Implications of the Missouri sex offender registry

May 31, 2013

Implications of the Missouri sex offender registry

Article provided by Harper, Evans, Wade & Netemeyer
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The Missouri sex offender registry is designed to let residents find out where a convicted sex offender lives, where an offender works, the car the offender drives, as well as the alleged crime that led to the conviction. Although it was created to keep people informed, the Missouri sex offender registry prohibits those convicted of a sex offense from moving on with their lives after they have paid their debt to society.

Many argue that the current registry is too much of a blunt instrument because it lumps all people convicted of a sex offense into one category. To address the issue, the state legislature is debating making changes to the registry.

Two different proposals that seek to change the sex offender registry

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, two state representatives have presented two different proposals to change the current Missouri sex offender registry to address the "blunt instrument" argument. Both of the proposals passed the Missouri state legislature's House Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee.

The first proposal would keep those who were convicted of minor sex offenses off of the sex offender registry. It was said that this proposal would allow approximately one-third of the nearly 14,000 people on the registry to petition to remove themselves from the registry in the next 20 years. Currently, when one is convicted of a sex offense he or she must register on the registry for life.

The second proposal would allow every person who is on the sex offender registry an opportunity to petition for removal from the registry at some point. To determine how long the person has to wait before he or she can petition would depend on risk assessment reports that would be done on the individual by a mental health professional.

Both proposals would "winnow" the list according to a degree-of-offense tier, but with differing criteria as to who could petition for removal from the registry.

Arguments surrounding the proposed changes

Some are apprehensive about loosening the sex offender registry requirements. Ozarks First reported that one mother of a sexual abuse victim hopes that the sex offender registry's rules do not change because she does not want her son to have to re-live the trauma.

Another reason as to why some do not want there to be changes made to the registry is because of a study that showed that registries can serve as a deterrent from committing a sexual crime because it makes life difficult for the convicted offender.

Those for the change recognize that sometimes people who get convicted of a sex crime are not fully at fault. For example, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported a story of a man who accidentally downloaded pornographic images of children when downloading music files from a popular file-sharing service.

The man was told that the crime would never go on his record if he pleaded guilty in exchange for probation and suspended imposition of sentence. After taking the deal, a change in the law required him to register as a sex offender. He now has to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life if changes are not made.

This was just one example of how some people who may not be guilty of a minor sex offense land on the sex offender registry for life. As the repercussions of a sex crimes conviction can be severe, anyone who is being charged with a sex offense should contact a criminal defense attorney for help.