In Illinois, pursuant to the Compiled Statutes of the State 730 ILCS, all local law enforcement agencies are legally mandated to establish and maintain a statewide database of sex offenders that can be accessed by members of the community over the internet. In accordance with this law, the Illinois State Police maintains a central repository of information on all people who have been convicted of sexual offenses as well as well as crimes against children.
These offenders are required by law to register with the local law enforcement agency once they have been released after the completion of their sentence or on parole. They are expected to offer accurate information about their current address, place of work and other personal information. The data is collected in a bid to limit their movement in areas where children congregate and restrict them from seeking employment in establishments that offer care to children and vulnerable adults.
What does the sex offender registry law state about this mandatory program?
All individuals who have been charged of crimes listed in ILCS 730 150/2 (b) and 150/2 (C) are required by law to register sex offenders when such a charge has led to:
- A conviction for involvement in the offense or committing it, commissioning it or attempting it
- A verdict of not guilty on the grounds of insanity
- A finding that did not result in an acquittal
The sex offender registry was an endeavor on the part of the Illinois Department of Safety to offer information about sex offenders to the public at large to promote a safer environment in the community. The Illinois sex offender registry provides no information and has not conducted an analysis of the risk of re-offense of the individuals listed in the registry. In fact, the names in the database are solely included on the basis of a conviction and many of these offenders have been accused on minor charges such as indecent exposure.
The Illinois Department of Safety and State Police explicitly state that using the information on the sex offender registry to discriminate against or harass a person can lead to criminal prosecution. While law enforcement agencies are judicious about updating information in the registry, often data about the current address of an offender may not be accurate as the information can change very quickly.
While most of details included in the registry are procured from the legal records of the case initiated against an individual, some of the data is gathered from the offenders themselves and they are required to furnish and update this information periodically. If you need additional verification or information, you can always validate the accuracy of the details procured from the sex offender registry by contacting your local law enforcement agency.
Accessing the Illinois Sex Offender Registry
The Illinois State Police offers an online access tool to their database which can be used to find a person in the registry through a name search. Visit the official website of the agency at https://isp.illinois.gov/Sor/Disclaimer. Once you accept their terms and conditions, you will be directed to the search page.The Illinois State Police offers a range of information about sex offender registry and the laws governing the formation of the database on this page.
To your left hand side, you will see a search tool. Simply insert the name of the alleged offender along with the name of the city, county and the zip code to find all offenders in the area who match your search criteria. The tool not only provides information on sex offenders but also on child sex offenders and murderers
The sex offender registry offers information on convicts who have willing complied with the registration rule and also those who haven’t along with individuals whose locations are unknown. However, the database is not linked to any other crime history/incident repository. So, you will only get information pertaining to sex related crimes that a person has been convicted of and not other background information.
If you believe that the details pertaining to specific individual in the registry are incorrect or outdated, you can get in touch with the Illinois State Police at 217-785-0653 Monday through Friday during business hours.