Sex Offender Registration and Notification in the United States: Current Case Law and Issues, July 2012

• NCJ Number: 239231
• Date Published: July 2012
• Length: 17 pages
• Agencies: SMART
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis

Annotation

This report discusses current case law and issues surrounding sex offender registration and notification in the United States.

Abstract

This report was prepared by the Office of Justice Programs, Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) and presents information on current case law and issues regarding sex offender registration and notification in the United States. The report begins with an overview of current sex offender registration and notification systems and discusses registration at the local level, Federal minimum standards, the National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW), Federal law enforcement databases, Federal corrections, Federal law enforcement and investigations, and military registrations. The second section of the report discusses current requirements for sex offender registration, while the third section of the report addresses the issue of juvenile sex offender registration. The fourth section of the paper discusses court cases dealing with sex offender registration and notification, and the retroactive application of these laws to sex offenders released from prison prior to the implementation of these laws. The final sections of the report discuss additional constitutional issues, community notification, failure to register, and residency restrictions. The report notes that the statutes, laws, and regulations addressing the problem of sex offender registration and notification are varied and complex and practitioners should conduct their own research in order to utilize the most current information available. Endnotes