Offenses that have a lifetime registration requirement are either Sexually Violent Offenses under CCP Article 62.001(6) or specifically enumerated offenses under Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 62.101(a). A conviction for any of the following offenses triggers a lifetime reporting requirement:
An adjudication of delinquency for any offense above will result in a 10-year registration requirement that lasts until the 10th anniversary of the case’s disposition or the completion of the terms of that disposition, whichever is later.
A violation of the laws of another state, a foreign country, federal law, or the Uniform Code of Military Justice for or based on the violation of an offense containing elements substantially similar to any offense as listed above, but not if the violation results in a deferred adjudication.
Sexually Motivated Crimes Not Requiring Registration
Not all offenses involving sexual conduct or sexual conduct with a minor have a registration requirement. Some types of cases involving prostitution and children do not fall under the category of reportable convictions or adjudications. The following Texas Penal Code offenses do not have any registration requirement because these offenses are not listed as qualifying offenses in CCP Art. 62.001(5)) including:
- §20A.03 Continuous Trafficking of Persons;
- §21.15 Improper Photography or Visual Recording;
- §43.03 Promotion of Prostitution;
- §43.04 Aggravated Promotion of Prostitution;
- §43.23(h) Obscenity, when the obscene material depicts or describes activities engaged in by a child under 18, a person indistinguishable from a child under 18, or an image depicting an identifiable child.
Second-degree obscenity is listed as an offense with a lifetime registration requirement under CCP Art. 62.101(a)(5), but it is not listed in Art. 62.001(5) as a reportable conviction or adjudication.
Although Texas law is not well settled in this regard, it is reasonable to conclude that based on the detailed list of reportable convictions and adjudications that second-degree obscenity is an offense that does not require sex offender registration.