Can a California Sex Offender Get the Death Penalty?

Capital punishment is one of the oldest traditions of humanity. When someone messes up bad enough or is clearly a threat to those around them, killing them is an easy way to ensure that they won’t recommit their offenses. In many cultures, it’s still common practice, but here in the United States, we’ve slowly been stepping away from it over the decades. The death sentence in many states is reserved for especially severe crimes. So could a California sex offender get the death penalty for their crimes? 

What Offenses can get the Death Penalty in California?

Before getting into if a sex offender can get the death penalty it’s important to determine how someone could get the death penalty in California. There are certain laws that require the death sentence in California, but the state hasn’t executed anyone in almost 15 years, and the standing governor at the time of writing this article put a moratorium on executions so it’s unlikely that anyone will be executed any time soon. 

That being said, there are still a few laws that require the convict to get the death sentence. These offenses include first-degree murder and a lot of crimes that result in someone dying such as kidnapping, train wrecking, and assault by a life prisoner. Treason is also an offense that is required to result in the death penalty. All of these are very serious offenses that the state doesn’t tolerate. 

So Can a Sex Offender get the Death Penalty in the State of California?

Whether or not a sex offender can get the death penalty is a bit of a complicated question, but the simplest answer appears to be yes. It depends entirely on the offense and it’s not likely that the offender would receive the death penalty for the sexual offense, but for another offense that occurred at the same time. For instance, kidnapping where the victim died. 

Even though most sex offenders won’t be put to death that doesn’t mean that California law enforcement doesn’t do a good job of keeping tabs on sex offenders. In the state of California, all sex offenders are required to register for life. They must re-register within 14 days of entering a new town or city, and only have 10 days to register when moving. Sex offenders also aren’t allowed to live within 2,000 feet of any school. The public can find information about sex offenders in the communities simply by looking through the sex offender registry.

How to Find the California Sex Offender Registry

The sex offender registry for any state is a powerful safety tool for those that know how to find it. Fortunately, because this registry exists as a public safety measure it’s very easy to find and access, especially for people with an internet connection. The easiest way to find it would be to use a search engine to look for it. The phrases “CA sex offender registry” and “CA Megan’s Law” are both very efficient to use for your search, and the registry should appear at the top of the results. 

Sex Offender Information at your Finger Tips 

Because sex offenders typically have a very high rate of recidivism, making sex offender information available to the public is very important for public safety. At this very moment, you could go to the sex offender registry and find out how many sex offenders live in your community and who they are. This information is invaluable for ensuring the safety of everyone and helps to make your safety plan as accurate and effective as possible. 

***Registered Offenders List is a free online resource that strives to offer helpful content and resources to its visitors regarding registered sex offenders that live near you.