Those accused of sex crimes in Utah may be worried about the sex offender registry. The sex offender registry requires those convicted of certain sex crimes to register themselves. This registry contains information about the person and the person’s criminal history and releases that information to the public.
Additionally, those on the registry have restricted freedom. If you are on Utah’s sex offender registry, then you can live, work or socialize. In particular, if you have been convicted of a sex crime against a child, you are not allowed to visit a park or playground that is open to the public, any primary or secondary school, preschools or daycares or public swimming pools. There are also certain requirements about how often you must update information on the registry.
Due to the very specific limitations that registered sex offenders face, people may wonder how long they have to be on the registry. The answer to this depends on the crime that a person was convicted of.
According to the Utah Department of Corrections, if you were convicted of kidnapping, aggravated human trafficking, lewdness involving a child, incest, unlawful sexual activity with a minor, voyeurism, forcible sexual abuse, custodial sexual relations or sexual exploitation of a vulnerable adult then you will be required to register for 10 years. However, if you have two separate convictions of any of these crimes, then you are subject to lifetime registration. You could also be required to register for 10 years if you have four or more convictions of lewdness or sexual battery.
Lifetime registration is required if you are convicted of rape, rape of a child, enticing a minor over the internet, aggravated sexual assault, child kidnapping, forcible sodomy, sexual exploitation of a minor and others.
Specific legal advice — which this post cannot provide — is necessary when you are facing registration on the sex offender registry. An attorney can help to explain a person’s legal rights and options when charged with sex crimes.