Sex Offenders: How Illinois Ranks On Registry

ILLINOIS — Illinois has the 25th most sex offenders per capita, putting us smack in the middle, according to a new analysis of data obtained by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The report, released this month by the security research site ASecureLife, says Illinois has 266 sex offenders per 100,000 residents, just ahead of Missouri and just behind California.

Illinois has a total of 34,010 registered sex offenders, according to the study. In addition to being required to register, convicted sex offenders in Illinois may not appear in a Halloween costume or other child-centered holiday character, such as Santa and the Easter Bunny, in public. They also are prohibited from passing out Halloween candy.

Oregon had by far the most registered sex offenders per capita at 688 per 100,000 residents, followed by Arkansas and Delaware.

Here are the 10 states with the most sex offenders per capita.

1. Oregon
2. Arkansas
3. Delaware
4. Michigan
5. Wisconsin
6. South Dakota
7. Wyoming
8. Kansas
9. Tennessee
10. Florida, Mississippi

On the flip side, Maryland has the least sex offenders at 125 per 100,000 people. Indiana, Connecticut, Ohio, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania rounded out the five states with the lowest number of sex offenders.

It should be noted that only 30 percent of sex assault cases are reported to authorities and about 18 percent of U.S. women — nearly one in five — have been raped, according to the Justice Department’s Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking.

When it comes to child sex abusers, an estimated 60 percent of sexual abusers know the victim but aren’t family members. This includes child care providers, family friends, neighbors and babysitters. Furthermore, only about 10 percent of child sex abuser are strangers to the child.

The statistics show why there’s continuing debate over the effectiveness of sexual abuse registries. On the one hand, parents feel they have a right to know if a sex offender is living on their block. On the other hand, some have argued sex offender registration and notification requirements are unconstitutional.

Even the term “sex offender” might not be all that helpful to residents. While the registry includes convicted rapists, molesters and abductors, some states also require registration for crimes like prostitution, bestiality, indecent exposure and sodomy.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.