Brock Turner Will Be A Registered Sex Offender

Now that he's being released from jail early, you may be wondering if, at the very least, Brock Turner will have to register as a sex offender. Having served only half of his original six-month jail sentence, he's expected to be released from jail on Friday, Sept. 2, but some aspects of his sentence will be more long-lasting. Now that he'll be moving to Ohio after his release, however, there's some question as to just how lasting those effects will be.

Though Turner was sentenced to remain a sex offender for life in California, sex offender registry laws vary state by state. According to the Dayton Daily News, Turner will be required to register only in Ohio, the state where he'll most likely be living after being released from jail on Sept. 2. Registered sex offenders in Ohio are required to remain on the list for a minimum of 15 years. If Turner stayed in California post-jail time, by law he would have been placed on the state's registry for life.

Under Ohio's Sex Offender Registration and Notification Law, all convicted sexual offenders are required to register to a state offender list and will remain there anywhere from 15 years to a lifetime. The law, established in 1996, is colloquially known as "Megan's Law," after Megan Kanka, a 7-year-old from Hamilton, New Jersey, who was raped and murdered in 1994 by an unregistered convicted sex offender living in her neighborhood.

The reason behind Turner's move from California comes after his victim requested that he return to the state where his parents live because "he makes her nervous," according to the Dayton Daily News. This isn't surprising, given Turner's slap on the wrist sentence. That a woman might be uncomfortable with the man who was convicted of sexually assaulting her walking around in the state where she lives is completely understandable and shouldn't be belittled simply as a "request" or "preference."

The case was controversial largely because of the lenient sentencing Turner received from Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky. Although Turner was convicted of three felonies, Persky sentenced him to only six months. Since the outrage over Turner's case, the judge has resigned from hearing criminal cases, and a campaign has emerged to recall the judge from his position, according to the Chicago Tribune. If the "Recall Judge Aaron Persky" petition gets around 80,00 signatures, a recall vote would be performed in the hope of removing him from the bench.

While the three months' jail time may come as a shock for those who are outraged by the events, early release on good behavior is somewhat typical of the Santa Clara jail where Turner served his sentence, due to overcrowding in California jails. Serving at least 15 years on the registered sex offender list will be, at the very least, a more lasting consequence.