The Kansas Sex Offender Registration Act was first enacted in 1993. In
its initial form, the Act required a person twice convicted of a sexually violent crime to
register with the sheriff of the Kansas county in which he or she lived. Information
obtained under the Act initially was made available only to certified law enforcement
agencies.In 1994, the Legislature expanded the Act ot allow the public access to
registrant information at their local Sheriff's office. It was believed that the public
should have the right to know about sex offenders who live in their communities. With this
information, Kansas citizens, as well as local law enforcement, can better make decisions
concerning the safety of their families and their communities.
In 1996, the Kansas Supreme Court declared that the public access portion of the Act
was unconstitutional for offenders who had committed their crimes before April 14, 1994.
Due to this ruling, the public is now only allowed to access informaiton concerning
offenders who committed their crimes after that date. Notwithstanding this limitation on
public access, all offenders are still required to register with their local sheriff's
office.
Former Attorney General Carla J. Stovall has been instrumental in proposing changes in
the law to meet federal guidelines and in expanding the list of those who must register to
include offenders convicted of murder, manslaughter, aggravated kidnapping, kidnapping and
criminal restraint.
The 1997 Kansas Legislature amended the Act to require offenders to register at the
time they are released from the Department of Corrections (parole) or when placed with
Court Services or Community Corrections (probation). Once collected, the information is
forwarded to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation which is the central repository for all
offender registration. The KBI then provides the registrant information to the local
sheriff's office. As a safeguard, the offender is required to report to the sheriff's
office within 15 days of entering the county to ensure that his or her registration form
is on file. If a registrant moves to a different address, he or she must give written
notice of the change to the local sheriff's office and the KBI. The sheriff also is
responsible for collecting registration information on offenders who have been convicted
in other states, but are living in Kansas.
The KBI is required to send a non-forwardable letter to the registrant every 90 days to
verify the accuracy of his or her address and to keep the database as accurate as
possible. It is a crime for an offender to fail to keep registration information,
including addresses, current. The responsibility for up-to-date information lies with the
offender, rather than the KBI of sheriff's office.
