Registering for the Minnesota Sex Offender Registry

After a sex crime conviction, many individuals must register on the Minnesota sex offender registry. This registration carries with it an incredibly negative stigma that can remain with the individual for a long time after the crime itself. It can create challenges with where you are allowed to live, work, and travel. In some cases, a sex offender conviction and subsequent registration can leave you struggling to find employment in your previous field or even to find employment at all.

What Crimes Require an Offender to Register on the Minnesota Sex Offender Registry?

Many different types of crimes can require those convicted to enroll on the Minnesota sex offender registry. These include:

Soliciting a minor to engage in sexual acts. If a person over the age of 18 encourages a minor to engage in sexual acts or acts for sexual contact for a minor, even if that solicitation occurs over the internet, once convicted, they may have to register as a sex offender.

Child pornography. If an individual is found to watch or look at images of child pornography, that individual may have to register as a sex offender in Minnesota.

Criminal sexual conduct. Criminal sexual conduct includes rape in all its forms, including any type of forced penetration or forced genital contact. Criminal sexual conduct may include nursing home abuse or forced contact with an elderly individual who cannot say no as well as forcing sexual contact or a minor. Date rape may also fall under the category of criminal sexual contact.

Kidnapping. In addition to active sex crimes, kidnapping can lead to necessary registration on the Minnesota sex offender registry. Kidnapping includes removing a person from a place against their will, while false imprisonment forces that individual to remain in a location they did not choose.

Use of a minor in a sexual performance. Using a minor to engage in sexual acts on screen, in film, or on stage can result in a sex crime conviction and, therefore, the need to register for the Minnesota sex offender registry.

Felony indecent exposure. Exposing your genitals while holding someone down, or deliberately exposing your genitals to a minor with a previous conviction, will qualify as felony indecent exposure. This can include both forced contact with the genitals or simply forcing someone else to view your genitals against their will.

What Happens if You Appear on the Minnesota Sex Offender Registry?

After being convicted of a sex crime, you will need to put your name and information on the Minnesota sex offender registry as soon as possible. Your name will remain on the registry for a minimum of ten years, depending on your crimes. Some offenders, depending on the severity of their crimes, may need to place their name on the registry for life. You will then be required to:

• Notify the registry any time your primary address changes.
• Provide the registry with access to information about any secondary addresses where you might stay.
• Notify the registry of your current employer or anywhere you attend school.
• Share any vehicles that you own or operate on a regular basis with the registry.
• Fill out any verification forms required by the registry and return them in a timely manner.

If you leave Minnesota, you will need to register in the state where you are visiting immediately. If you are on vacation or otherwise visiting another state, you will need to notify them of your presence if you are there for more than 14 days and follow state laws while you are there. Even if you are outside of Minnesota, you will need to continue to follow the terms set by the sex offender registry.

Some people on the Minnesota sex offender registry, including those who were let out of jail after January 1, 1997, are assigned a risk level that assesses, according to the Department of Corrections, the likelihood that an offender will commit a future offense. You can view your risk level by visiting the Minnesota sex offender registry website. An offender with a risk factor of 1 has a relatively low likelihood, according to the Department of Corrections, of engaging in sexual misconduct again, while a risk level of 3 can mean a high likelihood of future sexual misconduct. Your risk level will not impact your activities as long as you continue to remain in compliance with Minnesota sex offender registry directives and the terms of your probation.

Life as a registered sex offender can, at times, be difficult. The Minnesota sex offender registry is publicly accessible and anyone who has interest in the registry can view it. Employers can see your status, including how long you have been on the registry, with a quick search. By remaining in compliance, however, you can limit future consequences. Failing to maintain compliance with registry directives can result in jail time and an additional five years on the registry for each offense, which means that you will continue to have to live with those restrictions for an additional five years each time you go out of compliance.

Does Appearing on the Sex Offender Registry Prevent You From Having Contact with Minors?

According to Minnesota law, your listing on the Minnesota sex offender registry does not prevent you from having contact with minors, nor do you need to restrict your residence based on the locations of schools, day cares, and playgrounds. You may, however, need to abide by these terms as part of your probation or parole. In some cases, your listing on the registry may last longer than you will spend on probation. At that time, you will be free to change your residence or the people you have contact with as normal.

If you have been accused of a sex crime, you need appropriate legal representation to help prevent the need to register on the Minnesota sex offenders registry and other consequences associated with that crime. Contact us as soon as possible so that we can start helping you build your defense.