Washington Sex Offender Laws
Posted by Becca
The Washington sex offender laws have two distinct parts. The first part is meant to help victims during the criminal proceedings relating to their particular case and the second part stems from a federal law that requires states to take action to inform people about convicted sex offenders living in their neighborhoods and communities.
The first part of the Washington sex offender laws are referred to as the Victim’s Bill of Rights and it grants the victims of sex crimes the following rights: the right to be treated with respect, the right to be informed about criminal proceedings, convictions and release from custody of those accused in the case, the right to be present during public court hearings and the right to be heard during pertinent times in the criminal proceedings.
The second part of the Washington sex offender laws is what the states need to do to help inform and protect the general public from convicted sex offenders living in their communities. According to federal law, each state must have a sex offender registry. In Washington, anyone who has committed or been convicted of a sex offense must register with the state within 24 hours of being released from prison or moving to a new address or within 30 days of entering the state. Registration requires the convicted sex offender to provide the state with their full name, address, birth date and birth place, employment, description of the crime, aliases, photograph and fingerprints. Failure to comply with the sex offender registry requirement results in felony if the original crime was a felony and a misdemeanor if the crime was other than a felony.
Both Washington sex offender laws and the federal laws require that the information on the sex offender registry be made public. In Washington, the information is shared with the public based on the assessed risk level of a re-offense. Information about the offenders at the lowest risk level is available to local law enforcement and victims and their families when requested. Information about level two offenders can be released to schools, day care providers and other places and neighborhoods that serve children. Level three offenders can have their information disclosed to the general public.
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