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Why does each state have different standards on how sex offenders are registered?

"In the United States, sex offender registration is conducted at the local level and the federal government does not have a system for registering sex offenders. Generally speaking, sex offenders in the United States are required to register with law enforcement of any state, locality, territory, or tribe within which they reside, work, and attend school.

Each State has its own distinct sex offender registration and notification system. The District of Columbia and the five principal U.S. territories each have their own systems, as well, and an increasing number of federally-recognized Indian Tribes also have their own sex offender registration and notification systems. Every one of these systems has its own nuances and distinct features. Every jurisdiction (meaning each State, Territory, or Tribe) makes its own determinations about who will be required to register, what information those offenders must provide, which offenders will be posted on the jurisdiction's public registry website, and so forth.

Even though sex offender registration itself is not directly administered by the federal government, the federal government is involved in sex offender registration and notification in a number of meaningful ways."

Taken from http://ojp.gov/smart/caselaw/handbook_august2013.pdf


So why is each state different? There are many different things that the registering state will take into effect: risk-based, sentence-length-based and offence-based.

•  Risk-based systems use a tool to deem if the offender is at risk for re-committing a crime.
•  Sentence-length based registries reflect how severe the crime is.
•  And offence based registrant do not reflect the sentence nor the risk.

For Instance, a man in Maine might have been charged with rape and only have to register for 10 years, whereas a man in Colorado becomes a lifetime registrant. Why? It could possibly be that the Colorado man is a higher-risk offender, meaning they think that he could re-offend. Both men can be first time offenders.

Another scenario: Both men have exactly the same charge, rape. Maybe the man from Main is the high risk offender and the man from Colorado just is doing the state minimum registration for rape, which could be, in this situation, a lifetime.

Most states do not say what level the offender is or how long they have to register. It is up to you to call the state supplying the sentence and ask how long "X" is required to register. They do not typically throw that information out there.

Also, some states do not even list charges. Take Minnesota for example. Instead of them putting on the public sex offender site "aggravated kidnapping", they may put something like "Offender has a history of kidnapping and holding adult female victims against their will. Offender gained compliance through physical force and the use of weapons. Offender has been known and unknown to victims." - So once again, it is up to the consumer to verify the information.

If you were following someone in your neighborhood, wouldn't you want to know more about them? Say your neighbor is listed on our registry with a charge of "indecent exposure" and you have seen him on there for the past 10 years. Why would someone that exposed themselves have to be on a registry for 10 years? - So you call the local police office and ask. Come to find out, he's a 25 year registrant because 12 years ago there was a string of exposures to children on a school bus. They couldn't charge him without proof, but they are pretty sure that he would re-offend! After all, during his 10 years already on the registry, he has had a few probation violations and he has not been the most outstanding citizen. But the state, by law, can only put the sex crime he was committed for on the registry.

So if you really want to know more about a person on the registry, call your local authorities. They can tell you why someone has to register for how long and more details on the crime if you need them.

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