What Places You on the Sex Offender List in Missouri?

March 22, 2023

A person accused of a sex offense in Missouri faces lifelong consequences if convicted: prison time, fines, and in many cases, being on the sex offender list for the rest of their life. For this reason, individuals  accused of a sex crime need to contact a criminal defense attorney in Jefferson City immediately.

What exactly gets you on the sex offender list? Rape, sexual abuse of a child, possession of child pornography, and many other offenses. 

What Gets You on the Missouri Sex Offender List?

All individuals convicted of sex crimes in Missouri must register on the state Sexual Offender Registry. The registry website, which is open to the public, allows people to search their neighborhood for sex offenders and search the names of people they know. 

What exactly gets you on the Missouri sex offender list? The law may require you to register if you are convicted of a sexual act or sexual contact with another person without their consent. Conspiring to commit a sexual offense also puts a person on the registry. Other sex crimes involve actions that are undesirable or offensive to another person, such as public indecency.  Missouri Revised Statute §589.400 includes more than a dozen sex crimes that may put you on the state sex offender list including:

  • Rape and sexual assault
  • Sexual abuse
  • Prostitution or solicitation
  • Child molestation
  • Public indecency
  • Possession of child pornography
  • Statutory rape
  • Sexual exploitation
  • Illegal or coerced sexual misconduct
  • Indecent exposure

The Missouri Highway Patrol monitors where registered sex offenders live. The highway patrol crime lab collects a DNA sample from all registrants as a sex offender which goes into an online DNA registry. The state also tracks registered sex offenders’ address and employment changes. Most individuals on the sex offender list must check-in with the Department of Corrections every 90 days to update their information. 

What Can’t You Do If You are a Registered Sex Offender?

There is a long list of what you can’t do if you are a registered sex offender. Some restrictions radically change a person’s life: They can’t get a good job because their sex offense shows up in a background check. They can’t get a student loan or a mortgage. For those who worked around children, they are now banned from doing so and need to find a new way to earn a living. 

Other things you can’t do if you are a registered sex offender in Missouri include:

  • Be within 500 feet of a daycare center or a school for in some cases,
  • Post sexually explicit content on Facebook if you are on probation or parole,
  • Go to amusement parks, and
  • Participate in many Halloween activities, including handing out candy.

How Long Does a Person Stay on the Sex Offender List?

The length of time a person remains on the sex offender list after their jail term depends on their crime. Sex crimes are divided into tiers. 

  • Tier 1: Individuals convicted of a Tier 1 sex crime have to be on the Missouri Sex Offender Registry for 15 years. Tier 1 crimes include first degree sexual abuse, sexual misconduct involving a child, kidnapping with sexual motivation, and more. 
  • Tier 2: Offenders of Tier 2 sex crimes stay on the registry for 25 years. Crimes include second degree statutory rape, patronizing prostitution, and promoting child pornography. 
  • Tier 3: When an offender is convicted of first or second degree rape, child pornography, incest, or other major sex crime, they stay on the registry the rest of their lives. 

The law requires offenders to update their information with the state at various points, depending on the tier. If they don’t register or update their information they are committing a federal offense. Then, if they are convicted of a new violent crime, they can get an extra 30 years added to their sentence for being an unregistered sex offender. 

The serious consequences of sex crime convictions, including a lifetime on the sex offender list, make getting a skilled sex crimes attorney on your side. At Kirsch & Kirsch in Jefferson City, we stay on top of everything that needs to be done first, keep our clients out of jail, and if they end up on the sex offender list, we work to get their names removed as soon as possible. That is a whole legal process in itself and representation gets our clients the results they want.  

Staying Off the Sex Offender List in Missouri

The way to stay off the sex offender list is to have a good defense against the charges against you. Sex crimes often include different opinions of what happened. At Kirsch & Kirsch, we uncover whether there is enough evidence to convict our client. We represent clients throughout the legal process, from when they are first charged, through negotiations with the other side, and ultimately through trial by jury. You have a much better chance of staying out of prison, and off the Missouri Sex Offender Registry, with an expert sex crimes attorney representing you.  

Being convicted of a sex crime will change your life for the worse. Contact Kirsch & Kirsch today for a free, confidential conversation about how to start defending yourself. Leave a message online or call us at 573-261-5867.