- What offenses are subject to Sex Offender Registration?
- Any felony or misdemeanor conviction or adjudication of any of the following
statutes require registration:
- Indecent Solicitation of a Child;
- Sexual Exploitation of a Child;
- Soliciting for a Juvenile Prostitute;
- Keeping a place of Juvenile Prostitution;
- Patronizing a Juvenile Prostitute;
- Juvenile Pimping;
- Exploitation of a Child;
- Child Pornography;
- Aggravated Child Pornography;
- Criminal Sexual Assault;
- Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault;
- Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child;
- Criminal Sexual Abuse;
- Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse;
- Ritualized Abuse of a Child;
- Forcible Detention, if the victim is under age 18;
- Indecent Solicitation of an Adult;
- Soliciting for a Prostitute, if the victim is under age 18;
- Pandering, if the victim is under age 18;
- Patronizing, if the victim is under age 18;
- Pimping, if the victim is under age 18;
- Public Indecency for a third or subsequent conviction;
- Custodial Sexual Misconduct (if convicted on or after August 22, 2002);
- Sexual Misconduct with a Person with a Disability;
- Permitting Sexual Abuse of a Child;
- Kidnapping, if the victim is under age 18 and the defendant is not a
parent of the victim and the offense was sexually motivated as defined in Section
10 of the Sex Offender Management Board Act and the offense was committed on or
after January 1, 1996;
- Aggravated Kidnapping, if the victim is under age 18 and defendant is not
the parent of the victim and the offense was sexually motivated as defined in
Section 10 of the Sex Offender Management Board Act and the offense was committed
on or after January 1, 1996;
- Unlawful Restraint, if the victim is under age 18 and the defendant is not
the parent of the victim and the offense was sexually motivated as defined in
Section 10 of the Sex Offender Management Board Act and the offense was committed
on or after January 1, 1996;
- Aggravated Unlawful Restraint, if the victim is under age 18 and the
defendant is not the parent of the victim and the offense was sexually motivated as
defined in Section 10 of the Sex Offender Management Board Act and the offense was
committed on or after January 1, 1996;
- Child Abduction by luring a child under 16 into a vehicle or building and the
offense was sexually motivated as defined in Section 10 of the Sex Offender
Management Board Act;
- First Degree Murder of a Child, when the defendant is at least 17 years of age at the time of the offense and the victim is under age 18. Applies to a person who committed the offense before June 1, 1996 only if the person was incarcerated in the Illinois Department of Corrections on August 20, 2004;
- Any attempts to commit any of the offenses listed above; or
- First Degree Murder of an Adult, when the victim was a person 18 years of age of older at the time of the commission of the offense. Applies to a person who was released from the Illinois Department of Corrections on or after January 1, 2002.
- Other Qualifying Criteria for registration:
- The offender is found not guilty by reason of insanity;
- The offender is the subject of a finding not resulting in an acquittal;
- A conviction or adjudication for a violation of federal law, the law of another
state, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, or a foreign country law that is
substantially equivalent to the offenses listed above;
- A juvenile is adjudicated delinquent for any of the offenses listed above;
or
- A person is adjudicated as being Sexually Dangerous or Sexually Violent.
- What is a Sexual Predator?
'Sexual predator' means any person who is convicted of a violation or attempted
violation of the following sections of the Criminal Code of 1961, and the
conviction occurred after July 1, 1999:
- Keeping a Place of Juvenile Prostitution;
- Juvenile Pimping;
- Exploitation of a Child;
- Child Pornography;
- Aggravated Child Pornography;
- Criminal Sexual Assault, if the victim is under age 12;
- Criminal Sexual Assault, regardless of the victim's age (if convicted on or
after January 1,2006);
- Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault;
- Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault;
- Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse;
- Ritualized Abuse of a Child;
- Sexual misconduct with a person with a disability (if convicted on or after
January 1, 2011);
- Kidnapping (if convicted on or after January 1, 2011);
- Aggravated Kidnapping (if convicted on or after January 1, 2011);
- Unlawful Restraint (if convicted on or after January 1, 2011);
- Aggravated Unlawful Restraint (if convicted on or after January 1, 2011);
- Child Abduction (if convicted on or after January 1, 2011);
- Conviction of first degree murder, when the victim was a person under 18
years of age and the defendant was at least 17 years of age at the time of the
commission of the offense and the offense was sexually motivated as defined in
Section 10 of the Sex Offender Management Board Act;
- Certified as a Sexually Dangerous Person pursuant to the Sexually Dangerous
Persons Act or any substantially similar federal, sister state, or foreign
country law;
- Found to be Sexually Violent pursuant to the Sexually Violent Commitment
Act or any substantially similar federal, sister state, or foreign country law;
- Convicted of a 2nd or subsequent offense, after July 1, 1999 which would
require registration pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration Act; or
- A conviction for an offense of federal law, Uniform Code of Military
Justice, law of another state or foreign country that is substantially equivalent
to any of the these offenses listed above.
Sexual Predators are required to register annually for their natural life.
- What is a Sexually Dangerous Person?
All persons suffering from a mental disorder, which the mental disorder has existed
for a period of not less than one year, coupled with criminal propensities to the
commission of sex offenses, and who have demonstrated propensities toward acts of
sexual assault or acts of sexual molestation of children, are hereby declared sexually
dangerous persons. Sexually Dangerous People are required to register every 90 days
for natural life.
- What is a Sexually Violent Person?
"Sexually violent person" means a person who has been convicted of a sexually
violent offense, has been adjudicated delinquent for a sexually violent offense, or
has been found not guilty of a sexually violent offense by reason of insanity and who
is dangerous because he or she suffers from a mental disorder that makes it
substantially probable that the person will engage in acts of sexual violence.
Sexually violent people are required to register every 90 days for natural life.
- What is a Murderer?
- Someone convicted of First Degree Murder of a Child (or an attempt), when the defendant is at least 17 years of age at the
time of the offense and the victim is under age 18. Applies to a person who committed the offense before June 1, 1996 only if the person was
incarcerated in the Illinois Department of Corrections on August 20, 2004; or
- Someone convicted or adjudicated of First Degree Murder of an Adult, when the victim was a person 18 years of age of older at the time of the commission of the offense. Applies to a person who was released from the Illinois Department of Corrections on or after January 1, 2002.
- Does Illinois have retroactive registration for sex offenders?
Public Act 97-0578 became effective January 1, 2012 which requires retroactive registration for sex offenders. A sex offender or sexual predator, who has never previously been required to register under the Illinois Sex Offender Registration Act, has a duty to register if the person has been convicted of any felony offense after July 1, 2011. A person who previously was required to register under this Act for a period of 10 years and successfully completed that registration period has a duty to register if: (i) the person has been convicted of any felony offense after July 1, 2011, and (ii) the offense for which the 10 year registration was served currently requires a registration period of more than 10 years.
Public Act 97-0578 explains further retroactive registration requirements regarding sexual predator offenses, and all offenses which have an exact effective date.
- What does sexually motivated mean?
Section 10 of the Illinois Sex Offender Management Board Act states "sexually
motivated" means one or more of the facts of the underlying offense indicates conduct
that is of a sexual nature or that shows an intent to engage in behavior of a sexual
nature.
- How long must an offender remain registered as a sex offender
and how often are they required to register?
A sex offender must register in person annually for a period of 10 years. The
10-year registration period will start upon conviction for those offenders sentenced
to probation. Those offenders sentenced to the Illinois Department of Corrections,
another state's department of corrections, or federal corrections must register for 10
years from final parole, discharge, or release.
An offender must register in person once a year. The offender must re-register
within 1 year of the date of their last registration and every year thereafter.
Any changes in an offender’s registration must be made within three days
with the law enforcement agency who has jurisdiction.
An offender who is convicted of a violation of the Illinois Sex Offender
Registration Act on or after July 1, 2005 is required to register every 90 days for
the duration of their registration.
Those offenders adjudicated as Sexually Dangerous or Sexually Violent, must
register every 90 days for natural life.
Upon completion of an offender's 10-year registration period, their information
will no longer appear on the web site.
Offenders classified as a sexual predator must register annually for his/her
natural life.
All offenders convicted or adjudicated of first degree murder and registering under the Sex Offender Registration Act must register annually for his/her natural life.
- Where does a sex offender register?
A sex offender must register with the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction
where they reside. If the offender lives within the city limits, he or she will
register with the city police department. If the offender resides in an
unincorporated area, he or she will register with the county sheriff's office.
- Is there a registration fee when registering under the Sex Offender Registration Act?
Yes, there is an initial registration fee of $100 to be paid the very first time a registrant registers under this Act and an annual registration fee of $100 to be paid once each year.
- Must a sex offender register if they move?
An offender must register any and all places he or she resides for a period of 3
or more days in a calendar year. If an offender changes his or her address, he or
she must inform the local law enforcement agency in which they reside of the move,
and the law enforcement agency in which they are moving to within 3 days of that
move.
- If an offender is visiting from another state, are they
required to register?
A sex offender visiting the State of Illinois for more than 3 days in a calendar
year will be required to register with the local law enforcement jurisdiction where
the sex offender is staying. This means cumulative days; it does not necessarily
have to be 3 consecutive days.
- If a sex offender moves to Illinois, are they required to register?
According to Public Act 97-0578 which became effective January 1, 2012, if a person moves to Illinois on or after the effective date of this public act, the person is considered a sexual predator with lifetime registration if the person is required to register in another state due to a conviction, adjudication or other action of any court triggering an obligation to register as a sex offender, sexual predator, or substantially similar status under the laws of that State. Registration is required within 3 days of arriving in Illinois.
A person who moved to Illinois prior to January 1, 2012, is required to register in Illinois if the offense in his/her convicting state is substantially equivalent to an offense in Illinois requiring registration. Length of registration is determined by the substantially equivalent offense in Illinois (either 10 year registration or lifetime).
- What should I do if I believe any of the information
contained on this web site is inaccurate?
You can either report the information to the local law enforcement agency where the sex offender registers and request they investigate or you may contact the Illinois
State Police Sex Offender Registration Unit at 217/785-0653.
- Are sex offenders allowed on school grounds?
It is unlawful for a child sex offender to be present in any school building
or property, or loiter within 500 feet of school property without the permission
of the superintendent or school board, or in the case of a private school the
principal unless the child sex offender is a parent of a child at that school,
and the parent is on school grounds for one of the following reasons:
- to attend a conference at the school with school personnel to discuss the
progress of his or her child academically or socially;
- to participate in child review conferences in which evaluation and placement
decisions may be made with respect to his or her child regarding special education
services;
- to attend conferences to discuss other student issues concerning his or her
child such as retention and promotion.
- Are sex offenders allowed in parks?
As of January 1, 2011, it is unlawful for a sexual predator or a child sex
offender to knowingly be present in any public park building or on the real property
comprising any public park. The definition of public park includes a park, forest
preserve, or conservation area under the jurisdiction of the state or unit of local
government. A person who violates this is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. Exempts
child sex offenders convicted of Criminal Sexual Abuse (720 ILCS 5/12-15-b) and
Sexual Abuse (720 ILCS 5/12-15-c).
- Is it a violation of Illinois law for a sex offender to
be on a social networking website such as Facebook or MySpace?
Illinois laws says a person who commits a sex offense on or after January 1, 2010
and is convicted of this offense on or after January 1, 2010 must refrain from
accessing or using a social networking website while on probation, parole or
mandatory supervised release.
- Are schools provided with sex offender information?
The Illinois State Police receives addresses of schools from the State Board of
Education on a quarterly basis. This information is sent out to the Illinois
Sheriff's Departments who are responsible for providing a list of sex offenders
in their county to the superintendent/school board of the public schools, and the
principal of the private schools. In the city of Chicago, the police department
is responsible for school notification.
- How close can a child sex offender live to a school?
It is unlawful for a child sex offender to reside within 500 feet of a school,
playground, or any facility providing programs or services exclusively directed
toward people under age 18, unless they owned the property prior to July 7, 2000.
- Can a child sex offender live with children?
There are no Illinois laws which prohibit a child sex offender from being around
children, unless it is at a park, school, or any location designed exclusively for
people under the age of 18. If you would like a further investigation into the
welfare of a child present in the same house as an offender, you should contact the
Department of Children and Family Services. The Department of Children and Family
Service Hotline is 800-25-ABUSE.
Within three days of beginning to reside in a household with a child under 18
years of age who is not his or her own child, the child sex offender must report this
information to the registering law agency.
- Can a child sex offender have unsupervised contact with
children?
It is unlawful for a parent or guardian of a minor to knowingly leave that minor
in the custody or control of a child sex offender, or allow the child sex offender
unsupervised access to the minor. This does not apply to those child sex offenders
who 1) is a parent of the minor, 2) convicted of Sexual Abuse (720 ILCS 5/12-15-c),
or 3) is married to and living in the same household with the parent or guardian of
the minor. A person who violates this provision is guilty of a Class A
misdemeanor.
- As a victim of a sex offense, can I be notified of an offender's
whereabouts? How do I sign up to receive notification?
A victim and the victim's parent or legal guardian may request automatic
notification of the change of address of the associated registered sex offender. To
obtain automatic notification, the individual must notify the Illinois State Police,
Sex Offender Registration, 801 South 7th Street, Suite 200
South, Springfield, Illinois 62703, in writing of their request to receive automatic
notification. It is the responsibility of the requestor to notify the Illinois State
Police of any updates with the requestor's current address.
- How do I obtain offense information in addition to what is listed
on the web site?
Additional information about a sex offender's conviction can be obtained by
contacting the circuit clerk's office of the county in which the offender was
convicted to get a copy of the offender's court case information. Additionally,
criminal history information on an offender may be obtained through the
Uniform Conviction Information Act.
- How do photos get posted on the web site? Why do some offenders
not have a photo on file?
By law, every time a sex offender registers, the local law enforcement agency must
take a photo of the offender. The local law enforcement agency must forward a copy
of the photo to the Illinois State Police to be added to the web site.
Some offenders lack photos on file due to a photo not being taken at registration
with the local law enforcement agency, or because the photo was never forwarded to
the Illinois State Police. The Illinois State Police tries to ensure all sex
offenders have a photo attached to their information. If you see an offender that
lacks a photo on the web site, you should contact the local law enforcement agency to
inquire about the lack of a photo.
- What does Non-Compliant mean?
A sex offender becomes non-compliant when he or she fails to:
- Register with the local law enforcement agency within 3 days of notification by
the Illinois Department of Corrections or the Court; or
- Register annually; or
- Register quarterly (if applicable); or
- Provide complete and accurate information to law enforcement personnel during
registration; or
- Change his or her address or other information without notifying law
enforcement personnel.
In addition to being Non-Compliant, a person may be listed with a Location Unknown
status.
- What does Location Unknown mean?
The sex offender has vacated his last reported address and has not provided new
information regarding his current whereabouts to law enforcement as required by law.
Law enforcement officials have confirmed that the offender has vacated the last known
address by conducting a physical address verification of the offenders last reported
address. The offender's current whereabouts at this time are unknown. An offender
listed with an address of location unknown also means the offender is missing. This
individual would also be non-compliant in regards to the Illinois Sex Offender
Registration Act.
Law enforcement agencies are required by law to verify a sex offender's residence
in person at least once per year.
- How can an individual be transferred from the Illinois Sex
Offender Registry to the Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Registry?
First Degree Murder of a Child, Kidnapping, Aggravated Kidnapping, Unlawful Restraint, Aggravated Unlawful Restraint, Child Abduction, and Forcible Detention are offenses which are eligible for transfer from the Sex Offender Registry to the Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Registry when the following stipulations are met according to 730 ILCS 154/11:
- The sole offense requiring registration was a conviction or adjudication for an
offense or offenses listed in the FAQ of the Murderer and Violent Offender
Against Youth Registry. If the individual has a conviction for an offense which
requires sex offender registration, this individual will continue to register under
the Sex Offender Registration Act and is not eligible for transferring to this
registry.
- The State’s Attorney’s Office in the county in which the individual was convicted
has verified, on the form prescribed by the Illinois State Police, that the crime that
required or requires registration was not sexually motivated. (Sexually motivated is
defined as one or more of the facts of the underlying offense indicates conduct that
is of a sexual nature or that shows an intent to engage in behavior of a sexual
nature.) It is the responsibility of the offender to contact the state’s attorney’s
office and request this form be completed. These forms have been provided to all
state’s attorneys in Illinois.
- The completed form has been received by the registering law enforcement agency and
the Illinois State Police Sex Offender Registration Unit.
- If the individual was convicted in the military, out-of-state, or in federal
court, it remains the responsibility of the offender to have this form completed and
verified by the county of your conviction.