Supreme Court to review sex offender registration guidelines

Posted By Law Offices of Jeffrey C. Grass || 17-Jan-2013

Should convicted sex offenders released before registration guidelines were in place now be required to follow sex offender registration guidelines?

The Supreme Court will be reviewing a case to decide if the government is able to require former convicted sex offenders to follow registration requirements despite being unconditionally released from prison.

The Supreme Court will hear the appeal case after a 2012 decision overturned an Air Force veteran's conviction for violating the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act of 2006. This act created minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification requirements that convicted sex offenders are required to follow. The rules include having offenders notify authorities of their location and updating them whenever they move.

The case being reviewed stems from an Air Force veteran who was convicted of having sex with a minor. He served three months in prison and was not subjected to any sex offender registration requirements because the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act was not yet enacted.

The man later registered as a sex offender in 2007 but did not update is registration after he moved to a different city in Texas. He was later arrested and sentenced to one year in prison for his violation. He appealed his conviction and the 5^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out his conviction because he was unconditionally released before the registration requirements were a law.

The Justice Department has appealed the most recent decision to the Supreme Court, where a decision is expected later in June this year. The Supreme Court decision could have a significant impact on former sex offenders and what registration requirements they will have to follow.

Source: Yahoo, "Supreme Court to review sex offender registration law," Jonathan Stempel, Jan. 11, 2013