Missouri to Create Tiered Sex Offender Registry
Effective August 28, 2018, Missouri will undergo some changes to it’s sex offender registry. For the most part, these changes are good, common sense changes that will afford some persons required to register the opportunity to be removed.
Among other changes; the Bill (SB 655) that was signed into law by the Governor last month:
- Clarified that the requirement that individuals must register within three days of adjudication, release from incarceration, placement on probation, now is three business days,
- As opposed to previously, when there was only one tier that required registration for life, the new law creates three tiers, the lowest of which requires registration for 15 years with the opportunity to petition for removal after 10 years.
- Increases the age to marry from 15 years old to 16 and provides that someone over the age of 21 may not marry someone under the age of 18.
- Removes the statute of limitations (currently 30 years) for prosecution of sex crimes against children.
The tiered system will mirror the Federal Government’s tiers (SORNA).
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My question is with tiered systems is how us an individual tiered? Is it based on offense? Is it the charge you were convicted of? Does length of time with no other offense lower how you are tiered? Whats the guidelines?
To answer Reformed’s question, the tiers are based on the perceived seriousness of the crime. Here is an article with a brief description of the 3 tiers in Michigan: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/05/16/michigan-sex-offender-registry-critics-police-research-unconstitutional-tiers-restrictions-requirements/27453485/
You will notice the ridiculous conviction that also requires lifetime registration as a sex offender — kidnapping of a minor, even if nothing sexual happened. If a carjacker forced an adult to drive to an ATM and withdraw money, and a child happens to be in the car, the criminal ends up listed as a sex offender for life.
One major problem with this change to a 3 tiered system in Missouri makes it very unfair to people that had crimes more than 20 years ago that been out of Prison for more than 20 years and now they are placed in tier 3 after being evaluated low risk to re offend all these years . My crime ( Statutory Rape – a non violent offense ) happened in January 1996 23 years ago . I now found out they now consider that tier 3 ( the highest tier with violent rape and people with multiple offenses ) and it just is not right .