(Ottawa) The Supreme Court of Canada rules that certain sections of the National Sex Offender Registry are unconstitutional.
Posted at 2:30 p.m.
In a ruling released Friday, the nation’s highest court concludes that mandating registration of all sex offenders who have more than one conviction, regardless of their risk of recidivism, goes too far.
The Court also finds that keeping offenders on the registry for the rest of their lives violates the Canadian Constitution.
This decision is rendered in the case of an Edmonton man who, at the age of 19, had sexually touched two women at a party.
The man then pleaded guilty, served six months in prison, accompanied by three years of probation, and his risk of recidivism is considered minimal.
The court is giving Parliament a year to rewrite its compulsory registration law, although the Edmonton man has been struck off the register.