Most Texas sex crime convictions carry life-long consequences. In addition to serving a prison or probation sentence for the underlying criminal charge, nearly all convicted Texas sex offenders are required to register with the state Sex Offender Registry. Failing to adhere to this requirement can easily land a person back in jail.
Take, for example, the case of a Pasadena woman who was recently incarcerated in the Harris County Jail for the second time in three years as a result of failing to comply with her sex offender registration requirements.
Like all Texas convicted sex offenders, the woman is required to keep the government apprised of her whereabouts and to appear in person at her county sheriff's office within seven days after each time she changes address. Law enforcement will periodically perform unannounced spot-checks to be sure that sex offenders are complying with reporting rules.
In this particular case, one of those spot-checks revealed that the woman was no longer living at the apartment complex she had registered as her address. She had previously been caught in a similar spot-check in 2009, when she failed to inform law enforcement of another move.
Texas Sex Offender Registration
Many people convicted of Texas sex crimes balk at sex offender registration requirements, especially when the crimes happened long ago and they have already served their sentences. However, it is important to stay in continued compliance.
Sex offender registration might feel like an invasion of privacy, but the consequences of not adhering to registration requirements can have just as much damage as the initial sentence for the underlying crime. If you have any questions about your registration requirements, be sure to discuss them with your attorney before you make any important decisions.
Source: Houston Chronicle, "Woman Accused of Failing to Register as Sex Offender," Robert Stanton, May 25, 2012.
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