If you’ve been charged with a sex crime, you may be worried about having to register on the California Sex Offender registry. California has the largest number of registered sex offenders in any state in the US. This database includes over 80,000 sex offender registrants in California. It lists actual home addresses for over 50,000 registrants, and ZIP codes without home addresses for about 30,000 registrants. Many sex offender registrations include a photo so the person is easily recognizable to anyone. People are required to remain registered as a California Sex Offender for their entire lives, and even have to update their information with new addresses when they move.
Consequences of being labeled a Registered California Sex Offender
The implications of registering as a sex offender in California are far and wide. Registrants often face discrimination in every aspect of their lives, including socially with neighbors, friends, and family, and suddenly finding adequate housing and employment can become herculean tasks when their registration becomes public.
The message is clear: avoid having to register as a California Sex Offender if at all possible.
Do all you can to avoid having to register
The best way to avoid having to register is by getting an excellent lawyer to advise and represent you throughout your sex crime case. There are so many charges that if a conviction is issued, defendants will be forced to register as a California Sex Offender, including sexual assault, sexual battery, sex trafficking, indecent exposure, lewd conduct, rape, child molestation, and child pornography. Those who are convicted of these crimes are usually required to register in accord with the Sex Offender Registration Act, which was passed in California in 1996.
Don’t give up hope
If you’ve been charged with a sex crime in California, it’s not game over yet. Fight for your rights by getting an impeccable sex crimes lawyer on your side—Dan Chambers of the Chambers Law Firm. He will go over all the details of your case with you, thoroughly assessing your situation and coming up with the most sound defense possible. Depending on your situation, he might be able to prove that you didn’t commit the sex crime at all, or perhaps the alleged victim had actually consented to the sexual act.
There’s no reason to give up hope when it comes to a sex crime charge—and even if you expect a conviction to be issued, Attorney Chambers will work conscientiously on your behalf to secure the lightest possible sentence.
You shouldn’t have to suffer for the rest of your life because of a mistake—and unfortunately the California Sex Offender registry does just that. Crimes that happened decades ago continue to be punished by the public availability of this database. When will convicted sex offenders be able to move on with their lives, fully rehabilitated and integrated back into society?
