NARSOL’s Assertions

Registries of persons convicted of sexual crimes were originally presented as a means for tracking persons convicted of the most heinous offenses, but their reach has expanded exponentially to include even teen sexting and consensual relations between young people  (white paper)
Public registries provide no measurable protection for children or the general public yet endanger the well being of children and family members of registrants; (white paper)
Public registration, proximity restrictions, and residency restrictions that are extended beyond an individual’s sentence are punitive and thereby violate protected constitutional rights; (white paper)
Evidence-based policies and programs can reliably reduce new sexual offenses and thus make our communities safer; (white paper)
The misinformation and stigmatization used to justify harsh sexual offense laws undermine the welfare of society, creating unnecessary panic and distrust; (white paper)
Choosing to set apart any group of people and deny them civil, constitutional, and human rights threatens the rights of every person in our nation. (white paper)

NARSOL’s Positions

NARSOL advocates for the abolishment of dehumanizing registries as they are ineffective, wasteful, and contradictory to rehabilitation and public safety. (Read full position statement)
NARSOL opposes the use of post-sentence civil commitment as it is now practiced with those having sexual crime convictions, which is as a means to extend the incarceration period beyond the court-imposed sentence. (Read white paper)
NARSOL takes no position on age of consent laws. NARSOL believes it is each person’s responsibility to know the laws of the state in which he lives and follow the laws. (Read full position statement)
NARSOL opposes forced chemical castration for those who have committed sexual crime. (Read full position statement)

On the issue of Civil Commitment

NARSOL opposes the use of post-sentence civil commitment as it is now practiced with those having sexual crime convictions, which is as a means to extend the incarceration period beyond the court-imposed sentence.
Until such time as post-prison sexual offense civil commitment can be abolished, NARSOL will advocate:

  • to limit it strictly to extraordinary cases where the state clearly proves, using evidence-based and best-practice clinical procedures, that the person presents a danger to the community;
  • that state authorities be required to lay out a “clear path home” for each person entering the ‘program’ so that each committed person is aware of exactly what they have to do to obtain release, including treatment;
  • that states be required to provide persons who are deemed indigent legal representation and financial resources necessary to engage experts on their behalf;
  • that treatment be evidence-based, using best-practice clinical procedures, with the goal of reintegration back into society;
  • for a thorough review of all currently committed persons to determine if they meet the dangerousness criteria as defined above with an appeal process that provides representation and financial resources as described above for those who are defined above with an appeal process that provides representation and financial resources as described above for those deemed indigent.