united-states sexual-assault
How can they force people to walk around and tell all the neighbours that you are a &quot;registered sex offender&quot;?
<p>I've heard that people who are convicted as a "sex offender" (which is still very vague and cryptic to me) in the USA have to walk around and knock/ring on the doors of all their neighbours (it's unclear how "wide" it applies), and the same thing whenever they move, and wait for them to open and then say to them that they are a "convicted sex offender".</p>

<p>That seems to be an <em>invitation</em> to get punched in the face or face more subtle harassment "down the line".</p>

<p>Can they <em>really</em> force people to do that? How do they know that they <em>actually</em> do it? Do they take their word for it? Do the cops stand behind them looking dangerous, as to prevent immediate physical danger for the "sex offender"? Do they randomly call some the neighbours a week later to check if the guy has been there and said that?</p>

<p>I just cannot imagine ever doing this myself, unless I have a gun pointed to my head or something. Yet it's said so casually like it's a "minor slap on the wrist" or something, when in reality, it's an extremely dangerous (not just humiliating) thing to be forced to do.</p>

<p>Especially if this still must be done <em>after</em> a prison sentence, it seems like pure sadism to me.</p>

<p>The "how" part is, get the legislature to pass a law. <a href="https://law.justia.com/codes/louisiana/2018/code-revisedstatutes/title-15/rs-15-542.1/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">LA. REV. STAT. ANN 15:542.1</a> says</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Any adult residing in this state who has pled guilty to, has been
  convicted of, or where adjudication has been deferred or withheld for
  the perpetration or attempted perpetration of, or conspiracy to
  commit, a sex offense as defined in R.S. 15:541 or a criminal offense
  against a minor as defined in R.S. 15:541 shall be required to provide
  the following notifications</p>
  
  <p>(1) Give notice of the crime for which he was convicted, his name,
  residential address, a description of his physical characteristics as
  provided in R.S. 15:542(C)(1), and a photograph or copy thereof to all
  of the following:</p>
  
  <p>(a) At least one person in every residence or business within a
  one-mile radius in a rural area and a three-tenths of a mile radius in
  an urban or suburban area of the address of the residence where the
  offender will reside upon release, including all adults residing in
  the residence of the offender</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Also, school superintendents, landlords, park superintendents. The law does not require ringing doorbells. The police do not actually follow convicts to make sure they do it. You would have to contact police and convicts who have some experience with this to know how it works practically: the law is what it is.</p>

<h2>To answer the broader question: governments have compulsion powers</h2>

<p>@user6726 has already given a specific example of the use of this power in <a href="https://law.justia.com/codes/louisiana/2018/code-revisedstatutes/title-15/rs-15-542.1/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Louisiana</a> law, however, I think there is a broader issue you are seeking to understand beyond the mechanics of passing and enforcing a law.</p>

<p>All law in the modern world is based on the acceptance of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_state" rel="nofollow noreferrer">sovereign state</a> and that each state, within its borders has <strong>absolute</strong> authority to pass and enforce whatever laws it wants.<sup>1</sup> Those laws can include compelling people to do things they don't want to do.</p>

<p>If we take, for example, the sovereign state of North Korea, many other states believe and are willing to state that the laws within North Korea are oppressive, restrictive and violate international standards of human rights, none would say that North Korea doesn't have the <em>right</em> to have such laws. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.</p>

<p>In most pluralistic democratic states, the sovereign state has agreed through law (e.g. the Constitution of the United States of America) or practice (e.g. the parliamentary conventions of the United Kingdom) to place limits on their sovereignty such that laws that purport to exceed those limits can be declared invalid through legal processes.</p>

<p>Each state and territory and the Federal government has mandated that sex offenders (definitions differ) must be registered and do a number of things even after their sentence is complete. The US Department of Justice has thoughtfully consolidated these registers son anyone can search them all <a href="https://www.nsopw.gov/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a> by name or address.</p>

<p>The constitutionality of these registers (and their associated reporting requirements) have been <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutionality_of_sex_offender_registries_in_the_United_States" rel="nofollow noreferrer">challenged</a> several times; twice reaching the Supreme Court. All Federal challenges have been unsuccessful although some state-level decisions have ameliorated some aspects but have failed to rule them out entirely. </p>

<p>There is strong criminological and sociological evidence that the registers do tot work in reducing recidivism but a law doesn't have to be effective to be a valid law.</p>

<p>It should go without saying that what is legal in the United States may not be legal in other countries although, AFAIK, most OECD countries maintain a sex offender register although most are not available to the public.</p>

<hr>

<p><sup>1</sup> In <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitary_state" rel="nofollow noreferrer">unitary states</a> (like France) this sovereign power is centralised in a single government. In <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federation" rel="nofollow noreferrer">federations</a> (like Germany), however, that sovereignty is split between different levels of government. Notwithstanding the form of government, all sovereign states are, well, sovereign.</p>
