Virginia Beach Sex Offender Registry

Under the Code of Virginia, there is a registry where, if someone’s convicted of certain crimes like rape, sodomy, or sexual crimes, they have to register that they have been convicted of these crimes. In addition, there is a searchable database of everyone who’s been convicted of these crimes maintained by the state police. If you have been charged with a sex crime in Virginia Beach, you might have many questions about the Virginia Beach sex offender registry. An experienced lawyer can answer your questions and explain what the consequences of being a registered sex offender are.

Local and National Registry

There is a federal database if a person is convicted of federal crimes. Virginia’s local database is only for people who have been convicted of crimes in Virginia or if they were convicted of a crime in another state and moved to Virginia.

A person has to register if they have been convicted of a sex offense, as required by statute. The most common are rape, abduction, sodomy, aggravated sexual battery, attempted rape, or child pornography. There are a couple of others which require a person to register as a sex offender.

In some cases, depending on the charge, a person may be on the registry for life. In some situations, a person can petition to be removed from the registry once they have completed probation, completed all of the treatment, and they have shown that they have made changes in their life. However, in many cases, it is a lifetime registration.

When a person registers it shows what they have been convicted of.  If a person has been convicted of rape, in that database, anyone can search their name and it will show that that person has been convicted of rape. This information is available to the general public in an online database that anyone can search.

Impact of Being on the Registry

It can cause great problems. It stays with the person and, certainly, people will know if they try to move in an area that a person is a convicted sex offender. It can affect where a person lives. Often, depending on the judge’s sentence, the person may not be allowed to be within a certain distance of schools of children so the person cannot live in places that have schools nearby. Employers may not want to hire somebody who is on the Virginia Beach sex offender registry.

Removal from Registry

A person can eventually be removed from the Virginia Beach sex offender registry. When a person has to petition the court – the circuit court where the person was convicted – and a person has to wait at least 15 years, maybe even longer than that depending on the charge, and in addition, they have to complete all the counseling, all the probation, pay off all of the fines, and have no further convictions.

How an Attorney Can Help

A sex crime charge can have life changing consequences. One of which, having to register for Virginia Beach sex offender registry. Someone’s status as a registered sex offender can be a barrier to them finding housing or finding and maintaining gainful employment. If you wish to mitigate some of these consequences, contact an experienced Virginia Beach sex crime lawyer who can help you through this process.