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Requirements and Prohibitions

Hagar & Phillips often represents individuals who are charged with crimes that could result in a sentence that includes registration as a TN sex offender if our client is ultimately convicted. Individuals who are convicted of sexual offenses and required to register for the TBI Tennessee Sex Offender Registry are subject to a long list of requirements and prohibitions based on their status as a registered sex offender. If someone who is required to register as a sex offender fails to follow these requirements or if they commit violations of these prohibitions, it can result in further convictions, fines, and extended sentences.

Sex Offender Requirements

There are several requirements that registered sex offenders are obligated to follow and complete in Tennessee. Some of these requirements include:

• Requirements to report an establishment of or change in residence, including outside of the state, and changes in employment or vocational status within 48 hours.
• Requirement to report a change in the individual’s email address information or other internet communication name or identity.
• Requirement to disclose extensive personal information to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, including all names and aliases, addresses, employment, vehicle registrations, email addresses, internet usernames and screennames, sexual offense convictions, among other information. Much of this information is then made available to the public on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry website. 
• Requirement to report at least once a year in person to a designated law enforcement agency to update fingerprints, photographs, and required personal information.
• Requirement to report to a designated law enforcement agency prior to traveling out of the county and subject to law enforcement’s approval.
• Requirement to obtain and carry a driver’s license or photo identification card designating the individual as a sexual offender.
• Possible requirements to comply with restricted access to public libraries.

Prohibitions for Registered Sex Offenders

Additionally, there are several things that registered sex offenders in Tennessee are prohibited from doing based on their status as a registered sex offender. Some of these prohibitions include:

• Prohibitions on establishing residence within 1,000 feet of schools and other public properties.
• Prohibitions on residing within 1,000 feet of the property where the registered individual’s victims or their family members reside.
• Prohibitions on contacting or coming within 100 feet of an offender’s former victim(s).
• Prohibitions on visiting or being within 1,000 feet of schools, daycare centers, and other public properties when children are or are believed to be present, subject to a few limited exceptions.

Sex Offender Registry Convictions Involving Minor Victims

Individuals who are on the sex offender registry for convictions involving minor victims are also subject to some additional prohibitions, including, but not limited to:

• Prohibitions on pretending to be or dressing in costume as a real or fictional person or character while in the presence of a minor or with the intent to attract or entice a minor to be in the presence of the offender.
• Prohibitions on engaging in employment that the offender knows or should know will cause the offender to be in direct and unsupervised contact with a minor.
• Prohibitions on operating ice cream trucks, emergency vehicles, or other vehicles for the purpose of attracting or enticing a minor to be in the presence of the offender.

Individuals who move to Tennessee from other states where they were previously required to register for a sex offender registry are also required to register as sex offenders in Tennessee. These individuals must comply with many of the same and similar requirements following their move to Tennessee until their requirement to register is over.

Contact a Lebanon Lawyer

If you or a relative have been charged with a sexual offense in Wilson County, Tennessee, or one of the surrounding counties and need representation or if have questions about how a conviction for a sexual offense could impact your life, call Hagar and Phillips Attorneys at Law in Lebanon, TN to schedule a consultation with one of our criminal defense attorneys.

Sources

T.C.A. 40-39-208.
This is not a complete list of requirements that sex offenders in Tennessee are required to complete, but this list does include many of the requirements for registered sex offenders.
T.C.A. 40-39-203(a)(1) and (3)
T.C.A. 40-30-203(a)(6).
T.C.A. 40-30-203(a)(7).
T.C.A. 40-30-203(i).
T.C.A. 40-30-206(d); see generally Tennessee Sex Offender Registry, https://sor.tbi.tn.gov/home.
T.C.A. 40-30-204.
T.C.A. 40-30-304(h).
T.C.A. 40-39-213(a).
T.C.A. 40-39-216.
T.C.A. 40-30-211(a)(1).
T.C.A. 40-30-211(b)(1).
T.C.A. 40-30-211(b)(2) and (3).
T.C.A. 40-39-211(d)(1).
T.C.A. 40-39-215(a)(1).
T.C.A. 40-39-215(a)(2).
T.C.A. 40-39-215(a)(3).
T.C.A. 40-39-203.