Under the Kansas Offender Registration Act, people convicted of certain drug, sex, and violent crimes are required to register with the state. The law imposes strict requirements and serious legal consequences for noncompliance.
Failing to follow the requirements of the Kansas Offender Registration Act can result in new criminal charges. These charges carry the possibility of prison time exceeding 20 years, depending on a defendant’s criminal history.
If you’ve been charged with a Kansas offender registration violation, it’s important to immediately seek legal advice from an experienced criminal defense attorney. Jeremy D. Koop has years of experience on both sides of the courtroom, gaining insight into effective legal defenses to fight for you.
Anybody who fails to comply with the Kansas Offender Registration Act for 30 consecutive days can be charged with a criminal offense. They can be charged with new and separate criminal offenses every 30 days as long as the violation continues.
The first violation of the Kansas Offender Registration Act is a level 6 felony. The second violation is a level 5 felony. The third violation and any subsequent violation are level 3 felonies.
Kansas offender registration violations will be charged as person felonies if the underlying conviction was a person felony and nonperson felonies if the underlying conviction was a nonperson felony.
A person could be charged with aggravated violation of the Kansas Offender Registration Act if they fail to comply with the law for more than 180 consecutive days. If their violation continues, they’ll be charged with new and separate charges every 30 days and additional aggravated violations every 180 consecutive days. An aggravated violation is a level 3 felony.
In 2022, the state created a way for people convicted of certain drug offenses to get themselves removed from the offender registry.
Senate Bill 366 allows these people to petition a court for relief from the Kansas Offender Registration Act five years after they’re paroled, discharged, or released from serving prison time. If they didn’t go to prison, they’re eligible to file for relief five years after the conviction.
The Kansas Judicial Council has information about filing for relief from the Kansas Offender Registration Act.
The opportunity to file for relief from the Kansas Offender Registration Act isn’t available for many crimes that fall under the law. This underscores the importance of immediately seeking legal counsel if you’re being charged with a crime, especially an offense that could require you to enter the offender registry.
The information provided in this article does not constitute legal advice; it is for general informational purposes only.
