2021 Update: This article is still current. We review every year's legislative session for new laws.
In 2016, Kare11 came out
with a story on the weak sex offender
laws in Minnesota sourcing a full study by Protect.org. “We know of no other state in the union with sentencing as weak as
Minnesota’s for child sexual exploitation.” This was so shocking some of us
at Washington County Watchdog decided to look at all 50 state’s sex offender
laws (plus D.C.) and write a report documenting and sourcing each state’s sex
offender registry laws. Our focus was looking up each state’s Sex Offender
Registration and Community notification laws.
Legislators, see our bill ideas.
Most people think all released sex offenders in Minnesota have to register with the State who then informs the public who they are and where they live. With current MN law that’s absolutely false, according to the Department of Corrections it’s only 2%! (see 7th paragraph)
Minnesota Law is recklessly inadequate when it comes to public disclosure of sex offender data and community notification. After thorough study, with sourcing every state’s laws and registry website, we discovered Minnesota undeniably has the worst sex offender laws in the Country by far. Below we made a table ranking the States in 8 groups from Safe to Unsafe. For example 26 states are in the safest category (dark Green) and register ALL sex offenders for life and post their name, photo, crime, exact address, etc on a public website. Minnesota is ranked alone as the most unsafe.
In MN only the worst of
the worst felony sex offenders not in prison are required to register and have
the public notified of only the “vicinity” they live. These are the highest
level 3 felony convicted sex offenders. Rarely are they held to register for
life. According to MN state statute 263.166
subd. 5a the
minimum time level 3 sex offenders have to be registered is just 10 years. This
is also the max level 1 & 2 offenders can be required to Register.
According to MN Law State Statute
244.052,
level 3 is the highest level of sex offender and the highest risk of
re-offense. Almost every state uses this same three level ranking system. This
risk assessment ranking began in 1997 in MN and convicts have the ability to
move down the scale, but most never get
assigned a level. According to the MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
(BCA) FAQ page “Approximately 75% of the offenders registered in
Minnesota have never been assigned a risk level.” Of the 25% of sex
offenders who have been given a risk assessment level, only the highest level 3
have registered data that in rare cases the public is actively informed
about. The Minnesota Predatory
Offender Registry (POR), where the data is held, states on their website
that “Most
registration information is classified as private.“… That seems wrong. When
the 35W bridge fell killing 13 people the legislature put to law to have the thousands of bridges in MN inspected and ranked. Yet every year in our State, dozens of children are horrifically raped and sexually assaulted and sex
offenders rarely spend more than a year in jail and 75% of them are not ranked.
According to MN Law State Statute
609.345 subd 7 only “egregious first-time offenders” and “repeat
offenders” are required to stay up to date registering their location etc with
the State… again, rarely is that data public. The Minnesota Department of
Corrections only posts the “vicinity” of where a sex offender lives by
giving the city and cross streets allowing at best a four city block location. If
they live in an apartment complex… then they’ll post the block they live on…
which still leaves dozens of possibilities. ie: if the convicted sex offender
lives in an apartment complex that means you wouldn’t know if they lived right
next to you or on the other side of your block at a different complex unless
you memorized their face.
According to the Minnesota Department of
Corrections (DOC) search page there are only 363 level 3 sex offenders with this limited
data posted. On a 2013
flier from the DOC about the “Community Information act” they
state there are “17,400 registered (active) predatory offenders” in
MN. That is only 2% of registered and “active” sex offenders who are required
to be on the registry allowing the public to know who they are and the
“vicinity” of where they live. Remember, 75% of sex offenders have not been
assigned to a sex offender level to even make the list so you can understand
there’s a lot more than 17,400 sex offenders in MN.
According to a
2012 Patch.com article there were 280 convicted sex offenders living in
Washington County. The head prosecutor for Child Trafficking Crime in
Washington County, Imran Ali, stated in January of 2017 he was not sure how
many sex offenders live in our county at this time. See also: Rampant Sex Crime on Children. 10 Cases From County Alone, 8 Simple Laws to Update
It’s time for Minnesota Sex Offenders to come out of the
shadows and have their names, photos, and exact addresses shown like 47 other
states now require.
Findings Summary:
-26
states have life registration for ALL levels of sex offenders on their state's
public website listing names, exact address, crime, etc.
-9
additional states do the same life registration on public website with exact
address etc; except level 1 offenders register for 10 to 20 years.
-11
more states have Life Registration on public website for level 3; level 2
registered for 25 years; and level 1 for 15 years. Posting their photo, exact
address, crime, etc (not listing level 1 addresses)
-Of
the remaining 4 states Only Minnesota does not list level 2 and 1 sex
offenders.
-Only
Vermont with only 1,300 sex offenders, Maine
with only 2,700 sex offenders, and
Minnesota with over 17,000 sex offenders do not post the exact address of sex
offenders. (yet Vermont requires all offenders to register for life)
-Minnesota is dead last for sex offender
laws because only level 3 offenders register for minimum of ten years
(see above). Some state sources claim it’s life but clearly not
always. MN
posts just the cross streets of the block they live on. Level 2 and 1 are not
listed and they have weak ten year max on registry. Horrific
three time offending serial rapists can be ranked as level 2 offenders.
Please Consider Helping Victims of Sexual Assault in Washington County with EmpowerSurvivors out of Stillwater. They are a 501(c3), every cent goes to the victims peer support. They also need office supplies for their location. See our post about them here:
Lastly:
Please Consider Helping Victims of Sexual Assault in Washington County with EmpowerSurvivors out of Stillwater. They are a 501(c3), every cent goes to the victims peer support. They also need office supplies for their location. See our post about them here:
26 states
Life Registration on
public website for ALL levels of sex offenders
Posting their photo,
exact address, crime, etc. (except Vermont just the city)
Some states do not
post the lowest level 1, but no offenses against a child are level 1 in these
26 states:
|
Safety Level
|
State Law:
|
Website:
|
Comment
|
Alabama
|
||||
Alaska
|
||||
Arizona
|
||||
Arkansas
|
(level 1 not listed
public)
|
|||
California
|
||||
Colorado
|
||||
Florida
|
||||
Georgia
|
||||
Hawaii
|
||||
Idaho
|
||||
Kentucky
|
only a few low level
offenses can be 20 years
|
|||
Mississippi
|
||||
Missouri
|
||||
Nevada
|
(level 1 not listed
public)
|
|||
New Hampshire
|
(level 1 listed 10
years)
|
|||
New Jersey
|
||||
New York
|
||||
North Carolina
|
(Only a few low
level offenses can be 30 years)
|
|||
Oregon
|
(level 1 & 2 not
listed public)
|
|||
South Carolina
|
||||
South Dakota
|
||||
Tennessee
|
||||
Texas
|
||||
Vermont
|
||||
Virginia
|
||||
Wyoming
|
||||
9 States
Life Registration on
public website for level 2 and 3
Level 1 registered
for 10 years unless otherwise stated.
Posting their photo,
exact address, crime, etc (level 1 not listed publicly)
|
||||
Connecticut
|
(all offenses
against kids register)
|
|||
Illinois
|
||||
Indiana
|
||||
Iowa
|
||||
Rhode Island
|
(all offenses
against kids register)
|
|||
Utah
|
||||
West Virginia
|
(all offenses
against kids register for Life)
|
|||
Massachusetts
|
(Level 1 register 20
years)
|
|||
Wisconsin
|
(Level 1 register 15
years)
|
|||
11 States
Life Registration on
public website for level 3.
level 2 registered
for 25 years on public website.
level 1 for 15
years.
Posting their photo,
exact address, crime, etc
|
||||
Delaware
|
||||
Kansas
|
||||
Louisiana
|
||||
Maryland
|
||||
Michigan
|
||||
Montana
|
||||
Nebraska
|
||||
North Dakota
|
||||
Ohio
|
§2950.01.
|
|||
Oklahoma
|
||||
Pennsylvania
|
||||
Life Registration on
public website for level 3.
level 2 registered
for 20 years on public website.
level 1 for 10
years.
Posting their photo,
exact address, crime, etc
|
||||
New Mexico
|
||||
Life Registration on
public website for level 3.
level 2 registered
for 15 years on public website.
level 1 for 10
years.
Posting their photo,
exact address, crime, etc
|
||||
Washington
|
||||
Life Registration on
public website for level 3.
level 2 and 1
registered for 10 years on public website.
Posting their photo,
exact address, crime, etc
|
||||
Washington D.C.
|
||||
Life Registration on
public website for level 3.
level 2 registered
for 25 years on public website.
level 1 for 15
years.
Posting their photo,
crime, etc, HOWEVER, only post the city they live
|
||||
Maine
|
||||
WEAKEST LAWS OF ALL FIFTY STATES (and D.C.)
Lists only level 3 offenders who register for
Life (not always)
posting just the cross streets of the block they live on.
Level 2 and 1 not listed and ten year max on
registry
|
||||
Minnesota
|
17,000 sex offenders
|
