It’s common knowledge that every state has its own sex offender registry. This has been the norm for decades at this point, and it’s a valuable tool to keep the public safe from sexual predators that are looking to victimize more people. The laws around sex offender registration can be a little complicated, and there’s a lot to know to be sure you entirely understand what is required of sex offenders and what kind of information you can expect to get from the sex offender registry. Today we’re going to look at laws and other useful information about the Texas sex offender registry.
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How Long do Sex Offenders Have to Register?
In the state of Texas, there are two durations for the obligation to register. If an offender was convicted of compelling prostitution, promotion or possession of child pornography, sexually violent offenses, unlawful restraint or kidnapping of a minor, prohibited sexual conduct, or multiple offenses they must register for life. If the person wasn’t convicted of any of the crimes in the previous sentence they must register for ten years.
All sex offenders that are required to register, regardless of the state of their offense, have 7 days to notify law enforcement after any move. Applicable offenses require offenders to register 7 days before the move. Law enforcement also can verify the information that the sex offenders provide to ensure that they aren’t lying about where they’ll be living. This is to make sure that law enforcement agencies are keeping track of sex offenders in their jurisdiction as accurately as possible.
What Kind of Information is on the Texas Sex Offender Registry?
Sex offender registries provide a lot of useful identifying information about sex offenders. You can expect to find the name, address, offense, physical description including hair color, eye color, height, and also a full-color photograph.
There are other requirements for sex offenders depending on what is considered necessary by law enforcement. When a sex offender moves into a new neighborhood they may have to post a circular in the newspaper or a similar publication, post flyers, hold a neighborhood meeting, or create a specialized website. If a sex offender has to do any of these is entirely determined by their offense and what is deemed to be the most effective way to ensure that the community will be informed of the potential threat in their community.
How to Find the Texas Sex Offender Registry
Sex offender registries are pretty easy to find. The Texas sex offender registry is hosted by the Texas Department of Public Safety and it’s their goal to ensure that the public is as safe as possible. Most people will simply use Google or whichever search engine they prefer to find it. The registry should be one of the top search results. The sex offender registry is regularly updated to ensure that the public always has access to the most recent information available.
Sex Offender Safety in Texas
Sexual predators are an unfortunate truth about our society. There are people that exist that want to hurt people for their own pleasure. Sex offenders have a particularly high recidivism rate, and that means that the majority of sex offenders pose a large potential threat to the communities that they reside in. Fortunately for everyone, it’s a high priority of law enforcement officials to ensure that the public has information about sex offenders in their communities. The more you know about people that pose potential threats to yourself and your family the more you’ll know who exactly you need to keep an eye out for.
***Registered Offenders List is a free online resource that strives to offer helpful content and resources to its visitors regarding registered sex offenders that live near you.
