Michael McDaniel, Constitutional Law Professor at Cooley Law, said while the case is violent, adding nonsexual criminals is excessive based on opinions from the court.
“It’s a criminal punishment instead of a civil penalty. They’re just looking at whether or not nonsexual offenders, upon conviction, should have to register with a sexual offender’s registry, and they said that’s too far. I think the Michigan legislature will look at this and say, ‘Alright, what’s the extent of the sexual offender registry, and how can we tighten this up so it is consistent with the Michigan constitution?’” said McDaniel.
“It’s a criminal punishment instead of a civil penalty. They’re just looking at whether or not nonsexual offenders, upon conviction, should have to register with a sexual offender’s registry, and they said that’s too far. I think the Michigan legislature will look at this and say, ‘Alright, what’s the extent of the sexual offender registry, and how can we tighten this up so it is consistent with the Michigan constitution?’” said McDaniel.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, there are an estimated 300 people on the Michigan sex offender registry for nonsexual crimes.