If you have ever served time for a Missouri sex crime, you may wonder how much of an effect your conviction might have on your life moving forward. This depends, at least to some extent, on whether you must register with the state as a sex offender. Doing so can considerably limit your freedoms in your day-to-day life, and it also has the potential to affect everything from where you can live and work to with whom you can spend time. On the flip side, failing to register as a sex offender can have serious repercussions, too, so it is important to be able to determine whether it is a step you need to take.
Offenses that require sex offender registration
The sex offenses that require sex offender registration in Missouri are outlined by the Missouri Legislature’s Chapter 566, RSMo, and anyone who is convicted of a felony for the listed sex offenses, or at all for a listed crime involving minor children, must register with the state. This is true even if the conviction is for an attempted crime as opposed to a one that is actually carried out. Such offenses include, but are not limited to, sexual exploitation of a minor, incest, and abusing or endangering a child in a sexual manner. Promoting prostitution in the first, second or third degree, promoting child pornography in the first or second degree, and promoting obscenity in the first degree, too, are offenses that would require you to register as a sex offender in Missouri.
Additionally, you may have to register as a sex offender if you publicly display explicit materials or are convicted of possessing child pornography or distributing such material to minors. Genital mutilation of a female child is another felony offense that requires sex offender registration, as is felonious restraint of a child that is not legally yours.
What Missouri sex offender registration entails
If you do have to register with the state of Missouri as a sex offender, you should expect to have to provide considerable personal information, including your name and any aliases, your birthday and your Social Security number. A physical description, an accompanying photo and a license or other government-issued form of identification must also be submitted, as does a description of your crimes, including offense and release dates, among other specifics. You must also prove state residency and submit any vehicle ownership information in addition to submitting palm prints and a sample of your DNA.
While this information offers an overview of the types of offenses that can require sex offender registration, it is not a comprehensive list. To find out more about whether you must register as a sex offender in Missouri, you may want to contact a lawyer.
