Registering with the Ontario Sex Offender Registry

In our last post we wrote about sex crime charges an Ontario teacher is currently facing. In that post we mentioned that one of the penalties that man might face is registering as a sex offender. While many readers may be vaguely acquainted with what it entails, its specifics are probably not widely known by most, including those who could face registration. In this post we will provide some information about the sex offender registration in Ontario.

Also known as “Christopher’s Law,” the Ontario Sex Offender Registry went into effect on 2001. Under it, individuals convicted of crimes listed in the law will have to register within seven days of release or when other conditions are met. Likewise, when the residence or name of the convicted person changes, they have seven days to complete the registration

Once registered the person convicted of a sex offence must comply with the reporting period he or she is given. Whether the reporting period will be for 10 years or life will depend on whether the convicted individual is sentenced to more or less than 10 years.

A variety of data is gathered for the OSOR. In addition to names, addresses and phone numbers, the offences the registered individual has been convicted of are sought. So too are physical descriptions of the offender, photos of the individual—both past and present,—and information regarding the vehicles regularly driven by the offender. While this information is not available to the public, having to provide and maintain it can be a lot of work for an offender.

The failure to adhere to these rules can result in additional consequences such as fines and imprisonment.

When someone who is convicted of sex crime has to register as a sex offender the penalties associated with that conviction continue beyond the time they spend in prison. To try to avoid this outcome, anyone who is accused of a crime that fits into this category should contact a criminal defence lawyer for assistance.