Who Must Register as a Sex Offender in Oklahoma?
Oklahoma law requires that any person convicted of a sex crime must register with the Oklahoma Sex and Violent Offender Registry if they live, work, or go to school in the state.
This registry tracks the whereabouts of sex offenders and makes this information available to the general public on their website.
For many convicted sex offenders, this requirement feels like an unfair invasion of their privacy, and so they avoid registering. Others simply fail to meet the requirements. Okla. Stat. tit. 57 § 581
However, registration is mandatory.
Oklahoma legislature has determined that public safety concerns outweigh a convicted sex offender’s right to privacy. And while some sex offenders do re-offend, many do not.
Risk Level Assessments
Once a person is convicted of a sex crime, they are assigned a numeric risk level. The levels are supposed to be correlated to the risk of reoffending. These risk levels also determine the frequency and duration that a sex offender must check in with the Registry. Level 1 offenders must register annually for 15 years, Level 2 offenders must register every six months for 25 years, and Level 3 offenders must register every 90 days for life. Okla. Stat. tit. 57 § 583
Level 1 offenses are the least serious sex crimes. These crimes can include assault with intent to commit felony sexual assault, sexual abuse or exploitation of a child, child endangerment involving sexual abuse, sodomy, indecent exposure, child pornography, and distributing pornography.
Level 2 offenses: These include solicitation, including online solicitation of a minor for an obscene purpose and child prostitution.
Level 3 offenses: These crimes are the most serious under Oklahoma law and include child sexual abuse or exploitation, child rape, first or second degree rape or rape by instrumentation, incest, forcible sodomy, indecent proposals or acts to a child under 16 years of age, sexual battery, kidnapping involving sexual abuse or exploitation, and child sex trafficking.
Registration Requirements for Sex Offenders
A convicted sex offender has just three business days to register. An offender must provide his or her initial home address and must update that information every time he or she moves.
In addition, a convicted sex offender is prohibited from living within 2,000 feet of a school, playground, daycare facility, or park. Depending on the city they live in, this can make finding housing quite difficult. They are prohibited from working with children. As such, a school may not employ a registered sex offender.
Penalties for Failure To Register Are Harsh
The failure to register could subject you to a further felony conviction. If convicted, you could end up in prison for up to five years, pay a fine of up to $5,000, or both.
If you were ordered to wear a GPS monitoring device and fail to do so, you could be convicted of a felony, spend up to a year in jail, and face a fine of up to $1,000. Okla. Stat. tit. 57 § 587
The penalties for failing to register are harsh. If you have questions about these requirements, or if you have failed to register and are looking for a way to make this right, make sure to contact a Tulsa criminal defense attorney as soon as possible.
Strategy Session with Tulsa Sex Crimes Attorney
Help is just a phone call away. If you would like an initial strategy session with a Tulsa, Oklahoma sex crimes lawyer, call Wirth Law Office – Tulsa at 918-879-1681 or toll free at 1-888-Wirth-Law (1-888-947-8452).
If you prefer written correspondence, you may submit a question through the form at the top right of this page.
