The consequences of a child pornography conviction of any tip are devastating. Aside from the criminal penalties, there are societal consequences impacting work, family, friends – even the ability to be around children under 18.
A huge consequence of any child pornography conviction is the requirement to register as a sexual offender in Maryland. Prior to 1995, Maryland did not have any type of registration. But then state lawmakers created the Maryland Sexual Offender Advisory Board, which in turn created sex registration, in which there are three tiers:
Tier I
This tier requires 15 years of registration.
Tier II
This tier requires 25 years of registration.
Tier III
This tier requires lifetime registration.
Of course, it’s not simply registration that’s the problem. The problem must have their photograph taken, sometimes every 90 days, and report on a regular basis to local law enforcement. The photograph and personal information is then put on the sex registry for everyone to see. This affects someone’s potential job or someone’s employment, lifestyle, and even where they can live. It also puts one in a situation where the Parole Office or Probation Office has almost unlimited ability to invade your privacy and come into your home and search things as often as they wish.
Other probationary requirements after conviction on a child pornography charge include reporting to Probation and Parole to have various sexual deviancy evaluations completed and polygraphs to determine whether or not the person is searching for and viewing pornography online – also, sometimes, this will lead to a complete bar to internet access for life.
These are devastating consequences that may stem from a silly or inadvertent act, not necessarily known or realized by the accused person.
Often people come to me asking if they can be removed from the sex registry, Sometimes we can help make that happen. But it is extremely important that a person takes action when they are being investigated or charged with child pornography. Many of my open files are merely at the investigation stages, which is the point before the person has actually been charged with a crime. The earlier you can get a defense attorney who knows what they are doing regarding these cases, the better chance of a positive outcome.
