Sex Offender Registration Information

Work with a Ft. Worth Sex Crime Attorney

In Texas, all juvenile and adult offenders who have been convicted of a sexually motivated crime will be required to participate in the Texas Sex Offender Registration Program—which, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety (TXDPS), was designed to protect the public from sex offenders. Even if you were convicted of a crime that did not involve any sort of sexual contact with another person (i.e. indecent exposure), you could still land yourself on the sex offender registry for 10 years.

It is crucial that you contact our Fort Worth sex crime lawyer at The Law Office of Samuel R. Terry, P.C. as soon as you have been arrested—as this may be the only way to successfully avoid court-ordered sex offender registration.

How long will my info stay on the registry?

Depending on the nature of the crime that you have been charged with, you could be required to maintain your status as a registered sex offender for 10 years to life.

As stated by the Texas Department of Public Safety, "a person convicted of indecent exposure may be required to register for only 10 years, while a convicted rapist would be on the list for life."

This means that you could be asked to submit your name and address, a photograph and information about your crime to the local law enforcement authority of the city in which you reside upon your initial registration, and periodically verify the accuracy of this information throughout the duration of your registration. If you fail to report certain changes to the appropriate authorities, you could be subject to felony prosecution.

Will I be required to undergo a "risk assessment" during registration?

As a cursory way to gauge a sex offender's potential for relapse, the Texas Department of Public Safety may conduct a risk assessment. This would require a review committee to review an individual's information and give them a rating of 1 to 3.

This committee will be comprised of 7 members, which must include:

One member with law enforcement experience
One member who has experience working with juvenile sex offenders
One member who is a sex offender treatment provider
One member who has experience working with victims of sex offenses
The executive director of the Council on Sex Offender Treatment

While not all sex offenders will be subjected to a risk assessment, those who are will receive a "rating" that is based on the following:

Low (Level 1) – Indicates that the offender poses a low danger to the community and will likely not engage in criminal sexual conduct again.

Moderate (Level 2) – Indicates that the offender poses a moderate danger to the community and may continue to engage in criminal sexual conduct.

High (Level 3) – Indicates that the offender poses a serious danger to the community and will continue to engage in criminal sexual conduct.

How Can I Avoid Having to Register?

If you have been arrested for a sex crime, The Law Office of Samuel R. Terry, P.C. encourages you to discuss your case with our Fort Worth criminal attorney as soon as possible. Not only could a conviction land you on the sex offender registry, but it may subsequently prohibit you from moving on with your life. That being said, our firm will do whatever it takes to protect you against the ramifications of a guilty verdict.