Convicted sex offenders registering as homeless

11-18-2007 National:

More than three dozen states allow convicted sex offenders to register with police as homeless or transient, or list shelters or imprecise addresses. This list provides a partial picture based on each state's sex offender registry or interviews with state officials in October and November.

Some offenders are listed as "absconders" or "non-compliant" because they gave police fake addresses or did not register. Where statewide registry figures are unobtainable, city numbers are given.

Alabama: 59 unknown addresses

Alaska: 23 homeless, 130 unknown addresses

*Arizona: 152 homeless; in Phoenix, 23 homeless/transient, 209 unknown addresses and 255 absconders

*Arkansas: 170 unknown addresses

*California: 2,622 transient

Colorado: 31 homeless/transient, 17 unknown addresses, 807 failed to register

*Connecticut: 64 currently or recently homeless, 507 non-compliant

*Delaware: 58 homeless, 78 non-compliant

*District of Columbia: can register at shelters, 31 non-compliant

Florida: can register as homeless; in Miami, 39 homeless/transient, 140 absconders

Georgia: 2 homeless, 492 absconders

Hawaii: 43 homeless, 650 non-compliant

Idaho: 47 homeless/incomplete addresses

*Illinois: 110 homeless, about 1,300 non-compliant; in Chicago: 33 homeless, 98 unknown addresses

*Indiana: cannot register without specific address

Iowa: can register without permanent address; in Des Moines, 8 homeless, 20 unknown addresses

Kansas: 30 absconders

*Kentucky: can register at shelters or churches; in Louisville, 61 non-compliant

*Louisiana: need permanent address to register; in New Orleans, 258 non-compliant (42% of total)

*Maine: can register as transient, but no data provided

*Maryland: 5 homeless, 536 non-compliant

Massachusetts: can register without permanent address; in Boston, 49 homeless/shelter, 29 unknown addresses

*Michigan: 62 homeless, about 10,000 non-compliant

*Minnesota: 59 homeless; in Minneapolis, 9 homeless

*Mississippi: 5 homeless

*Missouri: 22 homeless, 51 unknown addresses

*Montana: 17 transient, 67 non-compliant

*Nebraska: 7 transient, 108 absconders

*Nevada: about 130 homeless, 1,935 non-compliant

*New Hampshire: 27 non-specific addresses, 212 non-compliant

New Jersey: 35 "fugitives" with unknown addresses

New Mexico: 4 homeless, 49 absconders, at least 180 non-specific addresses

New York: can register without permanent address; in New York City, more than 100 at two homeless shelters

North Carolina: 12 unknown/non-specific addresses

North Dakota: 19 unknown/absconders, many list P.O. boxes

Ohio: can register without fixed address; in Akron, 11 homeless

Oklahoma: 544 P.O. boxes only, 839 unknown addresses

*Oregon: at least 100 homeless; in Portland, 14 homeless/non-specific addresses

*Pennsylvania: cannot register as homeless, 586 non-compliant

Rhode Island: 9 unknown/non-permanent address

South Carolina: cannot register as homeless; in Charleston, 22 failed to register

South Dakota: 3 homeless/transient, 21 unknown addresses

*Tennessee: 122 homeless; in Nashville, 17 homeless/non-specific addresses; 29 unknown

*Texas: can register as transient but no state tally provided

*Utah: cannot register as homeless

*Vermont: 6 homeless, 48 "wanted" for failure to register

*Virginia: 225 "wanted" for failure to verify address; in Richmond, 2 homeless/shelter, 4 unknown addresses

*Washington: 564 homeless, 1,311 failed to verify addresses

West Virginia: 8 unknown addresses, at least 21 without specific addresses

*Wisconsin: cannot register as homeless, 10% non-compliant

Wyoming: 9 transient, 6 non-specific addresses, 99 non-compliant

* — Based on interview with state official. ..more.. by Wendy Koch.