Being convicted of a sex offense means a lot more than simply being convicted of a crime and serving jail time. Not only will convicted offenders be sentenced to a term of imprisonment and have to pay hefty fines, but they will also have to register as a sex offender. As such, hiring a skilled Cook County criminal defense lawyer is of utmost importance if you are facing charges for a sexual offense.
Sex offender registration was broadly implemented during the 1990s to increase community awareness of sex offenders to further build community safety. The sex offender registry typically causes many collateral consequences when someone is convicted of a sex offense.
Under the law, all sex offender registrants must register for at least ten years or the duration of their probation, whichever is longer. In addition, some registrants must register for life with no possibility of having their names removed. Convictions for failure to register can add another five years of registration.