Are you convicted under sexual assault? Forgotten or ignored to register as a sex offender? Accidental or not, the latter comes with its barrage of harsh penalties. Under the Texas state law, an offender is obliged legally to register himself as a sex offender. The registry contains a report of all the details of the crime including where it happened, and what the incident was.
While some people try to avoid doing this under the pressure of being on record, some do not understand the requirement to report as clearly as they should.
Failure to report or register is a felony offense. If you are accused of failure to register or are charged with false pretenses to register, the criminal charge against you might get aggravated and might put you in jail.
Where do they have to register?
After being convicted and having served jail time, the offender is expected to register themselves in a local law enforcement agency in the district of their current residence. They also may need to report to the municipal body where they work.
The local law enforcement agency is the sheriff of a district or police chief of the civil jurisdiction.
Sex Offender Registration particulars
For one, they need to register in a city which they may be regularly traveling to for work or short stays. One needs to provide personal information like the name, date of birth, as well as physical description of color and origin.
Additionally, some more information may be requested, including shoe sizes, social security number, current and permanent address, and any online links or profiles to identify them.
All sex offenders also need to give their phone numbers and a recent color photograph of themselves and education institution details or employment details.
Most importantly they must admit to the offense that they served of, the age of the victim, date of the crime and conviction and also the sentence they served. The offender must inform the authorities within seven days if there is any change of information.
How Long Do You Need to Report?
There are different categories of reporting. The frequency of reporting varies by the crime you committed. A person convicted of a jail felony reports for 10 years. A third-degree felony carries more caution as an individual charged under this degree of offense reports every year for a lifetime.
Someone who is a second-degree felon or has multiple times been accused of sexual offenses multiple times must report every 90 days for a lifetime. Many offenders are sexually violent due to the nature and recurrence of their crimes. They are supposed to report every 30 days for a lifetime.
Penalties for failing to register
At any point in time, if an offender fails to comply with registry regulations or has submitted forged or falsified information, he is liable to be charged with a felony crime. Further investigation and trial decide what sentence they get. For example, if it can be proven that the offender has already defaulted on registering before, the charge gets accelerated to the next degree of felony.
- State jail felony – The sentence is 180 days to 2 years in state prison.
- Third-degree felony – The sentence is upwards from 2 years to 10 years in prison
- Second-degree felony – The sentence is from 2 to twenty years in prison.
- First-degree felony – The sentence carries anywhere between 5 to 99 years in prison.
- Apart from the jail time, all of the above felony crimes direct a fine of $10000 toward the offender.
If you have happened to default on the registered directives, you need a reliable and trustworthy sex crimes lawyer to help you out. Contact us today to know more about how we can help you.