San Diego Criminal Lawyers Blog
In Alameda county, California lawmakers are considering a contentious bill that would end lifetime registration for certain sex offenders. The lawmaker who introduced the bill, Nancy O’Malley, and the District Attorney of Alameda County’s intent is to save the state money, since it is extremely expensive to monitor sex offenders.
Senate Bill 421 would reorganize the sex offender registry into a tiered system and group existing registered offenders into three categories based on the severity of their crimes. A certain number of offenders would be dropped from the list as soon as 2018. “There are people who are still registering who are now 80 years old and they register every year because when they were 18 years old they exposed themselves, there’s injustice in some of that,” says Ms. O’Malley.
The bill passed the state Senate’s Committee on Public Safety on last month. Proponents of the new bill say that lightening the work load of law enforcement will give them more time to focus on high-risk offenders that actually need monitoring.
Currently, a state tax force has 2,500 sex offenders to keep track of. There is currently an estimated 104,000 registered sex offenders statewide.
Potential Changes in California’s Sex Offender Registry
Most U.S. states already have a tiered system for sex offenders. But under current California law, all sex offenders have to register with law enforcement for the rest of their lives, no matter if they committed a nonviolent misdemeanor crime like indecent exposure (ie. urinating in public) or a violent felony rape.
If passed into law, S.B. 421 would create a tiered system for sex offenders:
- Tier 1: Misdemeanor or non-violent sex offenders would have to register for 10 years. This encompasses situations like when a young college student has too much to drink and exposes him or herself publicly.
- Tier 2: Convicts who committed serious or certain violent offenses would have to remain on the list for 20 years.
- Tier 3: Violent high-risk sex predators will remain on the list for the rest of their lives. This includes sex offenders who violated Megan’s Law.
A sex offender’s removal from the registry would not be automatic. Offenders who qualify for removal would still have to petition the court and have their application reviewed by their local district attorney, who has to consider factors like the risk of re-offending.
San Diego Sex Crimes, Sexual Assault, and Criminal Defense Lawyer
Having to register as a sex offender can ruin your life. The Law Offices of David M. Boertje handles all cases involving sexual offenses, alleged sexual assault, rape and battery, and violent crimes. If you have been arrested or charged with committing a sexual offense in the San Diego area, contact attorney David Boertje today. Prosecutors and the court of public opinion take sexual offenses very seriously. Call us today, and we will go over all your available legal defenses and make sure you get the fair trial you deserve.