Conviction on a sex crime can leave a person with significant restrictions on their rights and little privacy when they return to their post-sentencing lives. In Michigan, convicted sex offenders are required to register with the state’s sex offender registry and are subject to home checks and other administrative requirements. If during a check, they are found to be out of compliance with a requirement, then they may face serious consequences that can include imprisonment.

Recently, a Michigan community undertook a significant sex-offender registry check by visiting nearly 400 residences where sex offenders were registered to live. During those numerous checks, 94 percent of the convicted sex offenders were found to be in compliance, which generally, meant that they were living at the home that they noted on the state’s registry. However, 23 individuals moved or left their registered residences and as a result, may face criminal charges for their registry-address discrepancies.

When a registered individual fails to report a change to their address, they are considered an absconder. Their failure of an absconder to comply with the address requirement can result in a prison sentence of up to four years.

As discussed in this post, convicted sex offenders who must register with the state’s sex offender registry can find their homes visited by law enforcement officials and their lives thrown into upheaval, if they are found out of compliance with the registry’s requirements. A zealous defense plan during the prosecution of an individual’s underlying sex crime trial may help them avoid the difficult and invasive process of staying in compliance with Michigan’s sex offender registry.

Source: Michigan Live, “Charges against 23 sex offenders sought following Muskegon area sweep,” Lynn Moore, April 28, 2017