Sex Crimes SORNA

On Behalf of | Oct 3, 2017 | Sex Crimes

Sex Crimes are extremely serious crimes to be charged with. Not only are the majority of sex crimes in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania felonies with maximum penalties of up to 20 years in state prison, but Sex Crime convictions also call for the implementation of SORNA. SORNA stands for Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act which can be found in Title 1 of the Adam Walsh Act. CYS investigations Many states in the United States have implemented some form of SORNA, but the type of registration requirements can vary drastically from state to state. SORNA (also known as Megan’s Law) holds for requirements for individuals to become registered as sex offenders in Pennsylvania if they have been convicted of certain sex crimes. SORNA is a retroactive statute. What that means is the law requires some people that originally did not have to file as sex offenders at the time of their guilty plea or conviction to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law retroactively. Issues such as this are appealable to the higher courts in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Sex offenses and sex crimes under SORNA are divided into 3 different tiers when it comes to registration under SORNA. Tier III sexual offenses are the most serious and call for a lifetime registration requirement. Tiers 1 and II are less serious.  sex crimes investigationPart of SORNA is assessing whether a convicted sex offender should be classified as a SVP or sexually violent predator. The Court must order an assessment to be done of the defendant by the Sexual Offender Assessment Board (SOAB) to determine if the defendant meets the classification of a sexual violent predator. Typically, the court will delay sentencing for 90 days so that the SOAB may make their assessment. If the SOAB concludes that the defendant is a SVP then the court must schedule a hearing for the defendant to challenge this classification.

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