Criminology

The establishment and maintenance of a sex offender registry in the state of Illinois is mandated by the Illinois Compiled Statute which requires that the state police keep such records. This database is one that can be accessed through the Internet. In this database all the relevant information about the people who have been found guilty of sex offences or crimes that are sex related and especially those that are against children is stored. Such people are required to be registered as sex offenders in the sex registry. People who are required to register in the sex register of the state of Illinois are those who have been previously charged of one of the offenses that are listed in the Compiled Statues of the State of Illinois 730ILCS. It is the sex register that sets out clearly who is supposed to appear in the sex register. For a person to appear in the sex register ones conviction must result into one or more of the below circumstances if the accused person has been charged and consequently convicted of one of the above mentioned crimes or has been convicted for an attempt to commit such crimes

A person who has been charged of committing or attempting to commit one of the above mentioned crimes but found not guilty due to insanity
In an instance where a persons charge of the above mentioned crimes or attempt to commit the same does not result into an acquittal.
In addition, a person who has been charged of the following crimes is also required by law to register in the sex registry
Any person who has been involved indecent soliciting of adults or children
Exploiting children sexually
Soliciting for prostitutes who are underage
Opening and or establishment and maintenance of place that encourages juvenile prostitution
Pimping of juveniles

Kidnappings
First degree murder among others as outlined in the Act
The Sex Registry of the State of Illinois was established by the legislature in a bid to ensure that information regarding persons who are convicted is easily accessible to the public .Persons in the Sex Registry of the state of Illinois are included  mainly by virtue of records of conviction under the state laws of Illinois. By availing this information readily the public is warned about the conduct of certain individuals so that the public is wary.

However, the law of the country is that any person who decides to use this information against any person who appears in the sex register would be held liable for a criminal prosecution. The information that appears in the sex register is updated on a regular basis as a way of ensuring that information contained there is always accurate and that no person is put in the register inappropriately. However the state police does not in any way either express or imply that the information contained in the register is accurate. This is to prevent defamation of character of persons contained the sex register.

In most cases the information that is contained in the sex registry keeps on changing rapidly thus sometimes the information regarding a particular sex offenders place of residence, their status or any other vital information is not always correct. The other main reason why the information contained in the sex register is not always there is because some of the information is provided by the offenders themselves who are not always likely to provide accurate information regarding their criminality. For purpose of clarity accurate information regarding a sex offender can always be obtained from enforcement agencies where a particular offender resides.

The requirements of the Sex Offenders Act of Illinois are quite numerous and they must be followed to the letter. Firstly, according to this Act every person who is a sex offender must register himself or herself in person with a police department at the local level. They can also register with a sheriff at the county level in the municipality where they either go to school or reside. This registration must be done in person meaning that one cannot do the registration on behalf of another person. The registration must be done within a period of three days since the day a person is released from police custody or confinement. If the sex offender was sentenced to probation then such registration must be done within a period of three days from that day of being sentenced.

According to the Act, all sex offenders are required to register on an annual basis. This means that just like most licenses this registration expires after one year and the offenders must keep on renewing their registration in the sex register after the lapse of a period of one year. Any sex offender who has been found guilty of violent sexual offences or one who can be described as sexually dangerous must register after every three months. This means that the period of re-registration of such people is reduced to ninety days within which they must seek new registration in the sex register. If a person who is registered as a sex offender changes his or her place of residence, then new registration in the new place of residence must be done within a period of three days as from the day of movement. Registration in the new place of residence should be done either with a police agency or department at the local level or a sheriff at the county level. Any person who alleges that they have moved is required to present evidence or proof of new residence. In addition, such person must be photographed during the new registration.

The requirement of the Act as far as the period of registration is concerned is that sex offenders must register for a maximum period of 10 years after they have been found guilty and convicted of a sex offence. However, sex offenders who have been registered as violent or dangerous sexual offenders are required to register in the sex registry for their lifetime.

The Act has set out clearly on the penalty of those who fail to comply with the requirements of this law. Any sex offender who flouts the requirements of this Act is said to be guilty of a felony (serious offence) that is classified under Class 3 and liable to imprisonment net for a period not exceeding five years. In addition, such a person would be required to serve an imprisonment in a local jail for a period not less than 7 days. Failure to register increases the period that a person is supposed to remain in the register.