Abstract:
This Note argues that the federal government should classify sex offenders based on their risk of re-offending. Part I begins with a discussion of the federal government’s role in creating sex offender registry legislation. The current federal standard for sex offender classification is based solely on the offender’s underlying conviction and determines registration requirements based on this classification. While this federal standard was intended for all states to adopt, only about a third of states have implemented it to a satisfactory standard.