No matter whether you hear it on the news, radio, or Law & Order, the term sexual offender generally evokes negative feelings. It’s a term that is often used to denote perverts, rapists, pedophiles, child molesters, and even sexual predators.
But just as you cannot say that all criminals are murderers, you cannot render all sexual offenders pedophiles or rapists. It’s a denomination that is complex and, to some extent, built on stereotypical notions.
Bear with us as we dissect the many layers of what makes a person a sexual offender.
What Makes a Person a Sexual Offender?
In short, a person who forces another human being to participate in a sexual activity against their will is a sexual offender. More specifically, anyone who commits a sexual offense as defined by the law is a sexual offender.
However, it should be noted that one does not become a sex offender until they’ve been apprehended by legal authorities, their actions have been proven in a court of law, and they’ve been sentenced accordingly.
In order to define sex offenders more clearly, states and other jurisdictions have come up with various definitions of what constitutes a sex crime.
For instance, in accordance with Louisiana sex offender laws, incest is a sex crime, and any person convicted of it is labeled a sex offender. In most of the other states, however, incest is classified as a felony despite the fact that it’s a crime of sexual nature.
Finally, what makes a person a sex offender, other than having stood trial and been convicted, is that they are required to register as a sex offender with a respective agency.
This requires them to provide their personal information, such as name, address, and other identifying features. In some cases, they may even have to submit to GPS monitoring or undergo chemical castration, which is a measure implemented in Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon, Texas, and Wisconsin.
What Are the Different Types of Sex Offenders?
A sexual offender can either be classified as violent or non-violent depending on the severity of their crime and the nature of their offense.
Violent sex offenders usually commit crimes that involve physical force, such as rape, sexual assault, and child molestation. Non-violent sexual offenders, on the other hand, are typically convicted of “lesser” crimes such as viewing child pornography, soliciting a minor for sex, or engaging in indecent exposure.
The main classification, however, across all US states is according to tier type. Moreover, under the current laws, even the states with the highest number of sex offenders follow a three-tiered system. The tiers are an official categorization system that divides offenders on the basis of the seriousness of the crime committed, the probability of recidivism, and registration requirements.
Naturally, coast-to-coast sex offender tiers vary as sex crimes are punished differently, and registration requirements are not the same across the US. Depending on the tier the sex offender belongs to, they may be required to register for 5 to 15 years, 20 to 25 years, or life.
For instance, a sex offender classified as tier 1 under Maryland sex offender laws will be required to register for 15 years, while the same person will be committed to lifetime registration in Florida.
What Is the Lowest Level of Sex Offenders?
The lowest level of sex offenders are those classified under tier 1. A tier 1 sex offender is an individual who has committed a non-violent sex offense or a misdemeanor such as indecent exposure, possession of child pornography, voyeurism, or sexual contact without the victim’s consent. The registration requirement for these individuals may be as low as 5 or up to 15 years.
What Is the Highest Tier Sex Offender?
Tier 3 sex offenses are the gravest and involve violent offenses with adults or minors. Under the laws of most US states, a tier 3 sex offender is a person convicted of first or second-degree sexual assault or rape and any other sex act where the victim is otherwise disabled or impaired, false imprisonment of a minor, and other.
What Is the Difference Between a Sex Offender and a Sexual Predator?
Many believe that a sexual predator is just another word for a sex offender. But not all sex offenders are sexual predators. A sexual predator is a person who has been convicted of a sex crime and has shown a tendency to re-offend. These individuals are classified as high-risk because, in most cases, they’ve been convicted of violent sex crimes.
The Bottom Line
Sex offenders are individuals who have committed sex-related crimes and have been found guilty by a court of law. There are various types of sexual offenders, ranging from violent to non-violent ones, and they’re classified according to a three-tier system (tier 1 being the least dangerous and tier 3 the most dangerous).
