The repercussions of a sex offense conviction or guilty plea may last well after those alleged of committing such crimes otherwise pay their debts to society. In addition to potentially paying fines and serving jail or prison time, people convicted of sexual-related crimes may have to register as sex offenders with the state.
To help protect themselves and their rights, those convicted of sexual offenses may benefit from understanding the state’s sex offender registration program.
Who must register as a sex offender?
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, people convicted of qualifying crimes must register as sex offenders in the state or other jurisdictions. The offenses that may require sex offender registration include the following:
- Certain sexual misconduct charges
- Sexual battery
- Certain computer pornography crimes
- Unlawful sexual activity with certain minors
- Video voyeurism of a minor
- Sexual performance by a child
Additionally, those convicted of kidnapping and false imprisonment involving alleged minor victims, procuring people under the age of 18-years-old for prostitution, selling or buying of minors into prostitution or sex trafficking, and lewd or lascivious offenses committed in the presence of or upon people under 16-years-old may also have to submit their information to the state’s sex offender registry.
What information is required for the sex offender registry?
According to Florida state law, people required to register as sex offenders in the state must provide detailed information. In addition to providing their full names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers, those convicted of qualifying offenses must give their addresses of residence, telephone numbers, email addresses, instant messaging names, any institutions of higher education they attend, and their occupations and places of employment. They must also submit their sex, race, height, weight and any identifying physical traits. The state also requires that registered sex offenders provide a photograph of themselves, a set of fingerprints and a description of the crimes for which they were convicted.