The State Supreme Court is being asked to overturn Missouri’s Sex Offender Registration Act. Attorney Arthur Benson, representing several plaintiffs, claims the law is unconstitutional – in part because the statute requires registration of those who were convicted of sex crimes before the Act came into being. Benson adds the law forces certain offenders to register, even though they did not commit sex crimes. They have been convicted of physical abuse and similar crimes. Lisa Gentleman, Jackson County Deputy County Counsel, argued in defense of the statute. She rejects the argument that the requirement to register is an undue burden on an individual who has already been punished for his or her crime. A person who fails to register could be charged with a misdemeanor for a first violation and a class D felony for any subsequent violation.
