Clarification to our suggestion of adopting SORNA tiers
On March 11th we posted an opinion piece suggesting that Florida should adopt SORNAs Tier system. The post generated some controversy and confusion, so a clarification is warranted.
The Florida Action Committee (FAC) remains steadfast in its mission to abolish the sex offender registry entirely. However, while working toward this ultimate goal, FAC recognizes the need to advocate for incremental reforms that can alleviate some of the harms caused by the current system. One such reform is adopting the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) tiered system in Florida, replacing the state’s current lifetime registration requirement for all offenders.
To be absolutely clear: FAC’s core mission is to abolish the sex offender registry, which we believe is inherently flawed, punitive, and counterproductive. The registry perpetuates stigma, hinders rehabilitation, and fails to enhance public safety. However, until the federal SORNA is repealed—a necessary prerequisite for eliminating the registry altogether—FAC supports pragmatic, incremental changes that can mitigate the harms of the current system.
Florida’s one-size-fits-all approach mandates lifetime registration for all individuals on the registry, regardless of the severity of their offense or their risk of reoffending. This policy creates permanent barriers to housing, employment, and reintegration into society.
The federal SORNA system uses a three-tiered classification to categorize offenders based on their perceived risk level:
– Tier I: Low-risk offenders, are typically required to register for 15 years.
– Tier II: Moderate-risk offenders, are required to register for 25 years.
– Tier III: High-risk offenders, are subject to lifetime registration.
Adopting this tiered system in Florida would be a significant improvement over the current lifetime registration requirement. It would allow some individuals to eventually move on with their lives.
FAC’s advocacy for SORNA tiers is not a deviation from its mission but a strategic step toward achieving it. Until SORNA is repealed at the federal level, eliminating Florida’s registry would be a hollow victory, as federal requirements would still apply. By suggesting a tiered system, FAC aims to create a better framework within the existing legal constraints.
Rest assured that FAC remains committed to its mission of abolishing the sex offender registry. However, in the interim, we support practical reforms like adopting SORNA tiers to mitigate the harms of the current system. This incremental approach allows us to address some of the immediate injustices while continuing to fight for the broader systemic change we believe is necessary.
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My charge and plea deal was in 1992…
No registration even existed In Florida then..
I was retroactively put on the list 5 yrs later
Florida’s sex offender registry, as we know it today, officially began on October 1, 1997, when the 1997 Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill 958 (Ch. 97-299) to expand
Glenn, can you tell me was it, New Jersey or Pennsylvania? This is something FAC and NARSOL needs to understand and address to see if there are others like us and get us in a group. Who has the highest court ruling which I’m pretty sure I do but there were some others that could be equal but not any higher. FDLE is refusing to honor our retroactive civil judgements using H.R. 2137. Bubble brain doesn’t understand this. I’m done dealing with these brain dead Sergent’s and lawyers who find an excuse. This could become the class action suit we need to expose the punishment. Glenn, are you one of the 528 New Jersey Retroactive? I’m one of the 39 out of New Jersey they should have NEVER put on a public registry. I’m the real deal Megans Law’s John Doe Ex Post Facto July 26th challenger. This Sgt. here said it best, I will punish you to to fullest extent of my law. But the registry is not to punish… I’m one of the 117 retroactive challengers of Megans Law after it was found constitutional by the NJSC on July 25th 1995. I got them hook line and sinker!
Mr Doe, can you please share your case number and court so we can look into it?
It’s all out of New Jersey and they will only release this information to Law Enforcement and or a lawyer. I can’t even find a lawyer who will even contact the New Jersey Prosecutors office to get this paperwork for the case numbers and Retroactive civil judgement proof it’s a punishment. You will not believe what FDLE put in writing over this. It’s me Allan.. Hoping to see Cherokee soon.
Gotta laugh, Mr. Doe… Oh no, it’s just me Allan. I’ve been making them sweat not knowing what I’m gonna do. They don’t even do a check on me anymore cause they know I push back with the truth. I kicked out an email to y’all.
5 years has been the recommendation of the American law institute of numerous state supreme courts, which have said that lifetime registry is unconstitutional including Tennessee, Michigan, Connecticut, Connecticut, Illinois and others I think. And also there are bills in North Dakota, Washington state and Utah that would restrict certain offenses especially non-contact offenses to 5 years. Fac should push for 5 years even though I understand their need for incrementalism.
Praying for common sense laws and deliverance from extreme sentences for Everyone who has been unjustly harmed by the overreach.
I have been on the registry since 1987 and have committed no crimes against humanity but they locked me up for no at the right address
I have heard that when some have moved to another state they are automatically considered a Tier Level 3 by law enforcement. Here is the problem, there is no Due Process because it was stripped out in H.R. 2137 with the May 17th, 1996 Amendment. It’s what Law Enforcement determined you as not a court.
The idea would be to go by SORNA tiers. Not according to a state’s tiering system
As it should be… This is because FDLE now knows Federal H.R.2137 is about to get exposed that it is a punishment granting the states a full wide open public registry. It’s punishing nearly half with public shaming because of what Congressman Dick Zimmer (R) N.J. Dist. 12 Mercer County, Hamilton Twp. (the Kankas Congressman) did to hide the punishment and stripped our Due Process away on July 27th, 1995 so we couldn’t fight it. I’m the actual proof who is going to be exposing it. My fear was when someone calls up the word sex offender my damn picture will come up because I challenged her law back in 1995 and now again because it wasn’t to be made public in the first place. We are punished because of Jesse Timmendequas’s crime. Smith v Doe was a cover up by Justice Souter! There is your 2 names for crimes against humanity.. I can prove it’s a doubled punishment with actual court rulings. Jonas showed me FDLE’s last line of defense “1993 out of state” She screamed at me, “All circuits have ruled it’s not a punishment!” Well that’s not true, the Third Circuit ruled on 8/20/1997 E.B. V Verniero that Tier Level 2 and 3 are not punishment retroactively. I’m a Tier Level 1. An actual July 26th, 1995 Megans Law public notification challenger after New Jersey found it constitutional on July 25th, 1995. I was granted Due Process under the 14th Amendment being placed on the registry retroactive. Making my conviction public record is state inflicted punishment under the Ex Post Facto and Double Jeopardy clauses of the U.S. Constitution. I’m all but ready to take the sweet deal shut up and go away. If there was 1 person you should rally behind is the one who can show them the punishment they can not deny seeing. Yes, I’ve been away but I’m back… What ever happened to the Ex Post Facto cases?
The problem is that many people who are not a risk anymore are assigned Tier III. No one should placed on Tier III unless they are designated a “sexual predator” or are a repeat offender, unless the one offense committed involved violence, injury or extreme trauma to the victim.