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Maine's high court finds part of sex offender registration law unconstitutional

By Douglas A. Berman

As detailed in this local press report, the "Maine Supreme Judicial Court has found some of the provisions of Maine's sex offender registry law are unconstitutional." Here are more details: Attorney General Janet Mills says the court upheld most of the sex offender registry law, but found that some specific retroactive provisions violated both state and federal constitutional provisions that severely limit what are called ex post facto laws.  "Those parts that they found extra burdensome in retroactive application are the lifetime registration and the 90 day in-person registration, absent some kind of waiver provision that used to be in the law. Absent some remedy for the individual to say, 'I no longer should have to register.'" Mills says she's pleased that the court found that the state has the authority to require sex offenders to register with the state and that the public should have the ability to see who is on that list...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on December 23, 2009 (boomark / email).