In 1994, a federal law was passed that mandated the enactment of a sex offender registry program. Since then, numerous other laws have been passed at both the federal and state levels that have added onto this original ruling. In Missouri, some updates have taken place as recently as the summer of 2018. 

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a law that went into effect in August of last year outlined three different tiers for people required to register as sex offenders. The tiers are designated based on a variety of factors including the nature of the offense for which a person was charged and ultimately convicted. 

Tier III is the most severe registration level, mandating a person to register as a sex offender for the remainder of their life. They must report to authorities four times a year and, in most cases, are not able to request removal from the registry. Tier II offenders must register for 25 years, after which time they may request removal assuming they have no other violations on record. During the registration period, Tier II offenders must report to authorities twice per year. Tier I offenders must register for 15 years with annual check-ins. They may request removal from the program after 10 years if their records remain clean. 

If you would like to learn more about the levels identified in the state’s sex offender registry program and how these designations may impact you if you have been charged with a sexual offense, please feel free to visit the sex crimes and registry page of our Missouri criminal defense website.