Sex Offenders and Sex Offenses: Overview
Society and policy makers have long struggled with finding effective ways to protect the public from *** offenders. A *** offender is a person who has been convicted of certain *** offense crimes. Examples of *** offenses include:
***ual conduct with a minor
***ual assault
***ual assault of spouse
Molestation of a child
Continuous ***ual abuse of a child
Infamous crimes against nature
Lewd and lascivious acts
Indecent exposure and public ***ual indecency
Taking a child for the purpose of prostitution
***ual exploitation of a minor
Incest
Kidnapping, aggravated assault, murder, unlawful imprisonment, and burglary (when the offense includes evidence of ***ual motivation)
Failure to register as a *** offender
Violation of *** Offender Registration statutes
Most offenses involving criminal ***ual conduct fall within the jurisdiction of state law, but federal law also includes a number of ***ual offenses. The offenses are found in Title 18 of the United States Code. Some of the federal offenses specifically apply to ***ual offenses committed within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States or in a federal prison. Other crimes involve offenders who cross state or international borders to commit, or in the commission, of a ***ual offense. For example, 18 U.S.C. section 2251 makes it illegal to knowingly print, publish, or cause to be made, "any notice or advertisement seeking or offering to receive, exchange, buy, produce, display, distribute, or reproduce any visual depiction involving the use of a minor engaging in ***ually explicit conduct. This statute also applies when such person knows that such notice or advertisement will be, or has been, transported in interstate or foreign commerce by any means, including by computer."
Federal ***ual offense include:
Selling or buying of children (Section 2251A(a)(b))
Certain activities relating to material involving the ***ual exploitation of minors, including both distribution and receipt of visual depictions in books, magazines, periodicals, films, and videotapes (Section 2252)
Certain activities relating to material constituting or containing child pornography (Section 2252A)
Production of ***ually explicit depictions of a minor for importation into the United States (Section 2260)
Transporting an individual in interstate or foreign commerce with the intent that the individual engage in prostitution or other illegal ***ual activity (Section 2421)
Transportation of minors in interstate or foreign commerce, with intent to engage in criminal ***ual activity (Section 2423(a))
Interstate or foreign travel with intent to engage in a ***ual act with a juvenile (Section 2423(b))
Use of interstate facilities to transmit information about an individual under the age of 16, with "the intent to entice, encourage, offer, or solicit that minor to engage in any ***ual activity that can be charged as a criminal offense." (Section 2425)
