Inasmuch as the registry has not been determined to be effective, we ask that young first offenders (age 19 or under at the time of offense) be excluded from the public registry, especially since information is still available to law enforcement.

“As far as I know it does zip. Find me some studies, something regarding the effectiveness of sex offender registries. There is no evidence that it helped. One would think there’d be definitive studies. There are none as far as I know.” State Rep. Sean Faircloth, Chairman of the Commission to Improve Community Safety and Sex Offender Accountability.

“Because low level offenders pose minimal risk of reoffense, the harms of loss of reputation and anonymity along with the stigma of being branded a sex offender could outweigh the protective value of public notification.” J.Small. 1999. Who are the people in your neighborhood?. New York University Law Review 74:1465-1467.