Sex Offender Registration Causes Difficulties After Leaving Prison

 Posted on November 28,2024 in Criminal Defense

People who are charged with sex crimes will often face harsh penalties upon conviction, including lengthy prison sentences. However, the effects of a conviction extend beyond when a person has completed their sentence, often impacting them for the rest of their life. The requirement to register as a sex offender can place numerous restrictions on a person, limiting where they can live and work and making it difficult to succeed after being released. 

What may seem like minor, technical violations of these restrictions can land a person back in prison, placing them in a cycle that may seem impossible to escape. Sadly, many people on the sex offender registry are not predators, but are instead vulnerable members of society. They include transgender people, sex workers, people addicted to drugs, people who have been victims of abuse, and others who are at risk. 

Understanding the effects of sex offender registration is not always easy, especially when defending against criminal charges. To help prevent these issues, anyone accused of a sex crime will want to work with an East Hartford, CT criminal defense attorney to determine their best options for defense.

Restrictions That Can Affect Registered Sex Offenders

The judicial system is not supposed to apply blanket restrictions to large groups of people, but it often does so when dealing with people who have been convicted of sex crimes. Registered sex offenders are subject to numerous restrictions that can affect many aspects of their lives. Most of the time, they are not allowed to live or work in locations that are within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, community centers, gyms, or public parks. 

This limits their ability to find employment, since nearly every employer within a city will be close to one of these locations. These restrictions can seem especially nonsensical for people who are trying to survive and put their lives back together after leaving prison. 

For example, a person may be prohibited from working at an office that is a few blocks away from a church, but they may still be allowed to attend services at that church, or they may even be required to attend sex offender rehabilitation classes that take place at the church. At the same time, a person is required to pay ongoing fees for classes, drug tests, mental health evaluations, and more, and if they are unable to find work and earn an income that will allow them to cover these costs, they may be taken back into custody.

With so many restrictions, some registered sex offenders turn to other sources of income, including sex work. While illegal sex work such as prostitution will most likely cause a person to be re-arrested, other legal activities may be available, such as sharing photos or videos on adult websites. However, these activities fall into a grey area, since sex offenders will often be prohibited from visiting pornographic websites, engaging in "lewd behavior" in view of the public, or being employed by businesses that exhibit pornographic materials. 

Whether sharing private pictures or videos on websites that are only meant to be used by adults violates these restrictions is not always clear. Unfortunately, registered sex offenders are rarely given the benefit of the doubt, and they may be taken into custody and required to serve additional time in jail because of these types of alleged violations.

The restrictions placed on registered sex offenders do not serve their stated purpose of protecting the public. Forcing people to meet conditions that are nearly impossible can often result in poverty. These restrictions do not help prevent harm to children, since the vast majority of child sexual abuse is committed by relatives or people known to children, not by strangers. Instead of promoting rehabilitation, the system causes many people convicted of sex crimes to return to prison.

Contact Our Connecticut Sex Crimes Defense Attorney

Because of the difficulties that people convicted of sex crimes are likely to face, it is crucial for anyone who has been charged with these offenses to work with an attorney who can help them build a strong defense strategy. At Woolf Law Firm, LLC, our Hartford, CT sex crimes defense lawyer fights to protect the rights of defendants and help them determine their best options for avoiding a conviction. To learn how we can help you defend against these charges, contact us at 860-290-8690 and set up a free consultation.