**This blog post is ONLY to teach English learners what a sex offender is and provide them with information about how they can find out if a sex offender lives in their neighborhood.
A sex offender is a person that has committed a sexual crime.
Examples of Sexual Offenses:
- Sexual misconduct with a minor (someone under 18 years old)
- Rape
- Sexual assault of a spouse
- Molestation of a child
- Continuous sexual abuse of a child
- Indecent exposure
- Public sexual indecency
- Taking a child for the purpose of prostitution
- Sexual exploitation of a minor
- Selling or buying of children
- Material that sexually exploits a minor.
- Having child pornography
- Sharing child pornography
- Lascivious Acts (sexual behavior that is considered crude and offensive.)
- Lewd Acts (unlawful behavior that is of sexual nature, performed with the intention of sexually arousing a perpetrator or to who the conduct is directed at.)
- Transporting people so they can engage in prostitution or illegal sexual activity.
- Using the interstate to transport information about an individual under the age of 16.
- Kidnapping, aggravated assault, murder, unlawful imprisonment, and burglary where there is evidence of sexual motivation
- Sexual acts where force was used on the victim or the victim was under duress.
- Sexual acts where the victim was unable to consent due to mental impairment or disability.
Many sexual offenses are in the jurisdiction of state and federal law.
A sexual offender can be a person that is over the age of 18 that has sex with a person under the age 18.
In other countries, it might be legal for a person over 18 to have sex with a person under the age 18. But, in the U.S. (in most states) it is NOT. The offender can be arrested and go to jail, then be required to register as a sex offender.
Also, Minors (Children) Can Commit Sexual Offenses Without Knowing.
If a child under 18, sends a picture that contains sexual images of themself or anyone else’s to another child under 18, that can be considered child pornography.
Examples:
If a girl who is 16 sends a sexual picture or herself to a boy who is 17, that can be considered a distribution of child pornography.
If a 15-year-old boy sends a sexual picture of himself to a 15-year-old girl, that can be considered a distribution of child pornography.
Sex Offender Registry
All sex offenders must register their addresses.
There is a national sex offender registry.
You can go to https://www.nsopw.gov/ and search by name and/or location to see if there are sex offenders living near you.
