The Dobbs Wire: Vermont does the registry different – a surprising end!
Like all states Vermont has a sex offense registry and there’s a website to make the information available worldwide, 24/7. “Community notification” is the official purpose but extreme ‘naming and shaming’ a more honest take. The typical registry website has a great deal of personal information about registrants including name, age, photo, home address, details about the offense and victim, and more. Vermont does it a little different, the town or city is included but not the street address – apparently out of concern for accuracy and that address information can facilitate harassment or even vigilante attacks. There’s pressure to add the addresses for some categories of registrants. Have a look at this Burlington Free Press story which takes a surprising turn at the end — don’t miss Karen Tronsgard-Scott’s perspective, she’s the director of Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. –Bill Dobbs, The Dobbs Wire
Burlington Free Press | March 17, 2017
Years later, Vermont sex offender registry lacks addresses
By April McCullum
Vermont families are unable to find out whether a high-risk sex offender lives in their neighborhood, years after the public sex offender registry was directed to include those details. After more than eight years of discussion, the online Vermont Sex Offender Registry still lacks detailed information about where high-risk offenders live.
Members of the public can view photos, names and towns of residence for people on the online registry, but not to the level of street addresses. Sex offender registries in other states, including New Hampshire and New York, include offenders’ last known street addresses.
Vermont lawmakers requested that the online sex offender registry include street addresses for high-risk or non-compliant offenders in a 2009 law, and again in 2015. The Vermont Department of Public Safety was told to ensure that the data were free of errors and that the registry had fixed problems identified by the State Auditor’s Office before they were allowed to post addresses. MORE:
Wow – I am envious – how refreshing to have someone that “gets it”
There are plenty of other states that get it, too! The registry is on it’s last leg
That’s very optimistic, Bill.
Another interesting aspect the Vermont system is that if you are a 10 year registrant, which most people are, you are automatically removed from the registry without having to go to court. If you qualify and are beyond the 10 year mark already, you never have to register at all if you move there. Even more important is that this applies equally to out of state offenders and Vermont does not use the old “if you were a lifetime registrant in your state/whichever is longer” rule like a number of other states do. You are classified based on their laws, not the ones of your state of conviction. Of course, the bad news is that the entire population of Vermont is equal to that of a small city and it is COLD. 😉
That’s very promising. I like how they handle the registry. I have added Vermont to my list to research. Thanks Joe.
Is there a website anywhere that lists the states that get it? My wife and I are planning on leaving the state after my probation to escape the lifelong punishment that Florida won’t get rid of. In many states, I would be a tier 1, allowing me to be removed from the registry and not deal with regular check-ins with the sheriff department. We are researching it, but it is difficult to get all of the information on each area we are looking into.
WHL – you would have to check on-by-one. You might want to ask the National NARSOL, which has affiliates in most states.
Thanks, that gives me a direction to help. My wife and I already agreed that when we leave the state, our monthly contributions to FAC will continue. You guys are awesome!
If you are just off probation, you will still have to register forkful to ten years even in the slack states. What you want to look at are places where you won’t appear on the website. Oregon comes to mind. If you are a Tier 1 in New York, you don’t appear on the web, but people can still find you
I didn’t know some states don’t put all offenders on the public site, thanks for that info. In tiered states, I’m told I would be a tier 1, the lowest one.
IIRC, New York, New Jersey, Oregon and maybe Arkansas don’t. Washington didn’t but some politicians sued to be allowed to publish Tier 1 people and she won her case after she had been defeated for reelection. Kind of a last screw you. There are some other states other than Vermont where you can get off the list after like 10 years if you are a lower risk offender. Georgia and Oregon passed laws that treat out of state people the same in staters. Some like Oregon are switching over to systems where you don’t have to go to court to get off the registry. In Oregon, the state police will be doing it and they appear to have to abide by the individualized classification they get from the evaluation people. No more “may remove.” Tennessee has ten year automatic removal for a lotto offenses,BUT the law still appears to say that if you are an out of stater, you have to be on the Tennessee registry for 5 years and that includes the 1000 ft rule. What we are seeing of late is some courts saying that states cannot count related charges filed at the same time aka a n offense cluster” as “separate convictions” Oregon actually did that without being ordered b a court because that is what the Static 99 says to do.
Awesome info Joe, thank you very much.
Go West Young Man !!. Most Western State’s are 10 years. And according to my research, Oregon, Washington, Idaho (that is the only states I cared to research) Don’t put a Level 1 on the Public Registry. You will be on the Police Registry until you”Time Out”. You will have to go to court to be removed from the Registry after the 10 years but it’s just a Formality. You will also get you “Rights” back (except for your Gun Rights).The North Western State’s still believe in the Constitution as a rule. Also, You only have to do a YEARLY checkup and it’s a MAIL IN Check Up. We are trying to move this year but it costs SO MUCH to move 3000 miles especially when you own a butt load of stuff. But whatever it takes to get out west will be worth it !!.
My wife and I are looking West, they seem to be the most reasonable. We are currently searching Colorado, Idaho, and Utah, but will continue with the other western states excluding California. The western states really seem to follow the constitution. I was born and raised in the south and I love the south, but most of the southern states believe the constitution only applies when it benefits them, and that saddens me.
Thanks to you and the others who replied, I have hope I will be able to leave Florida in a few years (2 years left on probation).
I think Idaho and Utah either do the “whichever is longer” for out of staters like Connecticut,Maine Ohio and Rhode Island or may not recognize and”offense cluster” as a single conviction. One state that now appears to treat out of staters the same and has a ten year rule is Indiana.
If you were convicted before say 2002, Georgia has actually gone from being one of the most onerous states to one of the least. But if you were convicted after say 2008, you are totally screwed.
Not sure kind of state you are looking for but I know at one time I looked at North Dakota . One thing I liked about their website was that it said there are no living restrictions (it actually said “everyone has the right to live somewhere!”) I emailed them at the time and asked about RSOs moving there and they said there would be an assessment and a tier placement
Karen, thanks for this info. My wife and I like the looks of ND even before knowing this. This sounds like what I am looking for, a state that will treat me like I am human while issuing punishment for my crime. I heard the state of Colorado also doesn’t have residency restrictions.
NARSOL (National Association for Rational Sex Offender Laws) has a Wiki (https://statewiki.narsol.org/doku.php) that lists each states laws, the tier levels if known, and a lot of other information about each state’s registry. It is an organization that advocates and champions reasonable changes to the sex offender registry. There you will see a detailed listing of each state you are considering.
Thanks to everyone who answered my questions. You have given my wife and I hope that I don’t have to live like this forever. I will try to keep y’all updated on what I find.