Criminal offenses involving sexual misconduct are viewed in an especially-harsh light across Indiana and people convicted of these crimes typically see some of the most aggressive penalties. One such harsh penalty can be the requirement to register as a sex offender.
Being a registered sex offender can be devastating. Not only can it dictate where you live and what jobs you can have, the requirement also means that you’ll have to provide a wealth of information to authorities on a regular and ongoing basis.
According to Indiana laws, a person required to register as a sex offender will be required to provide a significant amount of information to authorities. This includes:
- Details about your appearance
- Personal information including Social Security number and driver’s license number
- Addresses of where you work, live or spend significant amounts of time
- Information about your offense
- Contact information for your employer
- Photograph
- Information on Internet accounts including email addresses and user names for a wide variety of online sites such as chat rooms and social media
You will also need to notify authorities if you intend to move, travel out of the county or change jobs.
Providing this type and amount of information may not seem like a big deal at first. However, having to continuously update police and your community about your status and life changes can make it extraordinarily difficult to move forward after fulfilling the other obligations of your sentence.
In order to avoid the requirement to register as a sex offender, you will need to defend yourself against the allegations against you. This can be extraordinarily challenging, particularly if you are not well-versed in Indiana and federal laws, which is why it can be wise to consult a criminal defense attorney right away.