A recently
released Pew Charitable Trusts research analysis published by Stateline
magazine indicates that some states are rethinking policies that allow
juveniles to be placed on sex offender registries.
According
to the analysis, 38 states add juveniles to sex offender registries, while 12
states add only the names of those convicted in adult courts. “In some states,
youths may petition to have their names removed from the registry, although it
can take more than a decade before they begin the process,” the analysis states.
“Some add names to a registry for a set amount of time, while others keep
offenders on the list until they die.”
The PEW analysis
points out concerns associated with putting juveniles’ names and photos on a
registry, which include stigmatizing them in their schools and neighborhoods and
making them targets of police, “sometimes for inappropriate behavior rather
than aggressive crimes,” the analysis states. Also of concern are laws that add
youth sex offenders to adult registries once they turn age 18 or 21, even
though they were tried as juveniles, not adults.
The
analysis points out some states that have made changes to their laws. For example, in Oregon and Delaware judges
now have more discretion in determining who goes on the registry. Also, Pennsylvania has ended lifetime
registration for juveniles. In Oklahoma,
the juvenile sex offender registry is accessible only by law enforcement, and
children are only considered for registration if a prosecutor determines that
they might commit another offense and files an application to have them added
to the registry when they are released from custody.
Still, the
registries’ supporters say they are necessary for public safety and “serve an
important purpose for families and victims,” while opponents counter that the
“penalties are too harsh for children who have been intentionally kept out of
adult court,” according to the analysis.
The full
article is available below:
http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2015/11/19/states-slowly-scale-back-juvenile-sex-offender-registries
