People in Texas who have criminal convictions may have long-lasting repercussions as a result. The convictions can remain on criminal records for a long period of time and will often show up on background checks. Certain crimes can have long-lasting requirements in addition to simply remaining on people’s criminal records as well.
One of these types of crimes is sex offenses. People have probably heard of the sex offender registry. People convicted of certain sex offenses must register for a period of time after the conviction. This registry contains the names and addresses of the people who need to be on it. The people required to register also must keep their information updated whenever something changes. The registry is public and can be seen by anyone.
Convictions that result in registration requirements
It is, therefore, important to know who must register. There are a number of criminal offenses that could result in needing to register. These include sex crimes involving children, crimes involving prostitution, sexual assaults, human trafficking, kidnapping if there was intent to commit a sexual offense or it involved a child and other offenses.
There are also three different severity levels for different offenders based on the severity of the conviction. Additionally, there are different lengths of time people will have to register for, but a number of convictions require people to register for the rest of their lives.
This registration requirement is in addition to any initial criminal punishments that people receive as a result of the conviction. However, in Texas, people will not need to register or have any of the criminal punishments unless they are convicted. Simply being charged does not mean that people will be convicted. After being charged people are still presumed innocent and consulting with experienced attorneys who understand the potential defenses could be beneficial.