Authors

Emily Baker

Fourteen Going on Forty: Challenging Sex Offender Registration for Juveniles Under the Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection Clause

Abstract

Part I of this Note reviews the historical background leading to the development of sex offender registration laws and examines relevant Supreme Court precedent. Part II analyzes the principles of juvenile justice, the application of juvenile sex offender registration policies, and the collateral consequences of youth sex offender registration. Part III argues that registered juvenile offenders should be considered a quasi-suspect class and thus receive intermediate scrutiny in equal protection analysis, and challenges the constitutionality of juvenile sex offender registries, particularly the South Carolina statutory scheme. Part IV examines the turning legal tide against juvenile registration through the recent Model Penal Code draft and state supreme court decisions on the constitutionality of juvenile sex offender registration policies. Finally, Part V offers policy analysis and recommendations for state legislatures to create effective registration schemes for juvenile sex offenders, specifically tailored to the specific needs and circumstances of youth sex offenders.

This abstract has been taken from the author's introduction.

Repository Citation

Emily Baker, Fourteen Going on Forty: Challenging Sex Offender Registration for Juveniles Under the Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection Clause, 32 Wm. & Mary Bill Rts. J. 845 (2024), https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/wmborj/vol32/iss3/6