Sex Offenders

Sex Offender Registration

Sex offenders are required to register in Arkansas. Details on the Sex Offender Registration Act of 1997 can be found in Arkansas Code §12-12-901 -- 12-12-920.

All sex offenders required to register in the State of Arkansas must submit to assessment by the Sex Offender Screening & Risk Assessment Program coordinated by the Arkansas Department of Correction. Each offender is assigned a community notification level based on the results of the assessment. Offenders failing to submit to assessment are assigned by default to a community notification level of 3, but may also be considered for assignment as level 4.

Who is Required to Register?

  • Any individual who is convicted of certain sex offenses and offenses against children.
  • Any individual who was incarcerated, on probation or parole, or serving any other form of community supervision as the result of an adjudication of guilt for the listed offenses as of this act's effective date.
  • Any person who is acquitted on the grounds of mental disease or defect for the listed offenses.
  • Any person who was required to register under the Habitual Child Sex Offender Registration Act, Arkansas Code Annotated §12-12-901.
  • A sex offender moving to or returning to this state from another jurisdiction shall register with the local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction within 3 business days of establishing residency.

Failure to Register

A person who fails to register, who fails to report changes of address or fails to comply with assessment as required, shall be guilty of a Class C felony.

Registered Sex Offenders on the Web

Arkansas Code Annotated §12-12-913 (j)(1)(A), mandates that information on registered sex offenders determined to pose the highest level of risk to the public (Level 3 and Level 4), must be available on the Arkansas state website by January 1, 2004. Recent changes in the law have added public access to information regarding Level 2 offenders who were 18 or older and the victim was 14 or younger at the time of the offense.

Based on information obtained from the risk assessment process, offenders are assigned the following levels:
  • Level 1: Low Risk
  • Level 2: Moderate Risk
  • Level 3: High Risk
  • Level 4: Sexually Violent Predator