By The Numbers

Index Utah Code

Title 53 Public Safety Code 

Chapter 29 Sex, Kidnap, and Child Abuse Offender 

Registry Part 2 Registrable Offenses, Timelines for Registration, and Petitions for Removal 

Section 202 Registrable offenses -- Status as a sex offender, kidnap offender, and child abuse offender established. (Effective 5/7/2025)

Link to Utah Code Chapter 29 Here 

(i) aggravated child abuse under Subsection 76-5-109.2(3)(a) or (b);

(ii) child torture under Section 76-5-109.4;

(iii) a felony or class A misdemeanor violation of enticing a minor under Section 76-5-417;

(iv) sexual exploitation of a vulnerable adult under Section 76-5b-202;

(v) human trafficking for sexual exploitation under Section 76-5-308.1;

(vi) human trafficking of a child for sexual exploitation under Subsection 76-5-308.5(4)(b);

(vii) aggravated human trafficking for sexual exploitation under Section 76-5-310;

(viii) human trafficking of a vulnerable adult for sexual exploitation under Section 76-5-311;

(ix) unlawful sexual activity with a minor under Section 76-5-401, 

(x) sexual abuse of a minor under Section 76-5-401.1, on the individual's first offense unless the individual was younger than 21 years old at the time of the offense then on the individual's second offense;

(xi) unlawful sexual conduct with a 16 or 17 year old under Section 76-5-401.2;

(xii) rape under Section 76-5-402;

(xiii) rape of a child under Section 76-5-402.1;

(xiv) object rape under Section 76-5-402.2;

(xv) object rape of a child under Section 76-5-402.3;

(xvi) a felony violation of forcible sodomy under Section 76-5-403;

(xvii) sodomy on a child under Section 76-5-403.1;

(xviii) forcible sexual abuse under Section 76-5-404;

(xix) sexual abuse of a child under Section 76-5-404.1;

(xx) aggravated sexual abuse of a child under Section 76-5-404.3;

(xxi) aggravated sexual assault under Section 76-5-405;

(xxii) custodial sexual relations under Section 76-5-412, if the victim in custody is younger than 18 years old and the offense is committed on or after May 10, 2011;

(xxiii) sexual exploitation of a minor under Section 76-5b-201;

(xxiv) aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor under Section 76-5b-201.1;

(xxv) sexual extortion or aggravated sexual extortion under Section 76-5b-204;

(xxvi) incest under Section 76-7-102;

(xxvii) lewdness under Section 76-5-419, if individual has been convicted of the offense four or more times;

(xxviii) sexual battery under Section 76-5-418, if individual has been convicted of offense four or more times;

(xxix) any combination of convictions of lewdness under Section 76-5-419, and of sexual battery under Section 76-5-418, that total four or more convictions;

(xxx) lewdness involving a child under Section 76-5-420;

(xxxi) a felony or class A misdemeanor violation of: (A) voyeurism under Section 76-12-306; (B) recorded or photographed voyeurism under Section 76-12-307; or (C) distribution of images obtained through voyeurism 

(xxxii) aggravated exploitation of prostitution under Section 76-5d-208;

(xxxiii) kidnapping under Subsection 76-5-301(2)(c) or (d), if offender was not natural parent of child victim;

(xxxiv) child kidnapping under Section 76-5-301.1, if offender was not the natural parent of the child victim;

(xxxv) aggravated kidnapping under Section 76-5-302, if offender was not natural parent of the child victim;

(xxxvi) human trafficking for labor under Section 76-5-308, if offender was not natural parent of child victim;

(xxxvii) human smuggling under Section 76-5-308.3, if  offender was not the natural parent of the child victim;

(xxxviii) human trafficking of a child for labor under Subsection 76-5-308.5(4)(a), if the offender was not the natural parent of the child victim;

(xxxix) aggravated human trafficking for labor under Section 76-5-310, if offender was not the natural parent of the child victim;

(xl) aggravated human smuggling  Section 76-5-310.1, if  offender was not natural parent of child victim;

(xli) human trafficking of a vulnerable adult for labor under Section 76-5-311, if the offender was not the natural parent of the child victim; or

(xlii) attempting, soliciting, or conspiring to commit a felony violation of an offense listed in Subsections (1)

UTRSOL Registry Data - Sheet1 (1).pdf

Registered offenders have a substantially lower than average (lower than proclaimed average) chance of reoffending across different periods of time from release. Registered offenders are significantly safer releases (reoffense-wise) than many other categories of criminals. There are always cases that break the rules, but this is why we focus on averages rather than standouts. Even when those standouts occur, it doesn't break any of the rules or statistics found in research articles simply because it occurred.  

As a society, we are plagued by the battle between what the community believes and what is actually effective in sentencing. A first offense, in nearly every other category of crime is often met with the most lenient punishment and gets progressively more severe with reoffending. If it was the other way around, we would have people striving to commit more crimes so that they would eventually get lighter punishments. The argument that an initial sentence isn't enough time for a first offense doesn't make any sense if we accept that a second offense would be harsher regardless.

The average person tends to think that you should be punished harshly for a crime as both a way of justice (getting even) and as a deterrent for future crimes by others. This is obviously not true or nobody would commit a crime punishable by death. An appropriate sentence for any crime, first offense or not, is one that stands a greater chance at rehabilitating rather than punishing. It's the difference between discipline and punishment. Punishment is geared to make the victim (or the punisher) feel better. Discipline will correct the offender's behavior. The problem with punishment is that different people have different standards for when they will feel better. Some might feel better after an offender served their initial sentence, others would insist that if he were ever released again, it would be too soon. It's possible an initial sentence of imprisonment, rehabilitation and therapy could have worked to prevent the second offense, sometimes there's standouts  whose sentence (or punishment) did not help circumvent, change, or rehabilitate their behavior.

Several outlier cases don't negate the fact that in Utah, 96% of registrants won't reoffend within 15 years. UTRSOL argues for the majority rather than the minority, but that doesn't mean the minority are forgotten. Individuals who reoffend should never be classified as a 'lost cause' or an unsalvageable person just because they fall into the 4% of reoffenders. As mentioned previously, a lot of times people just need the correct disciplinary measure to prevent these issues.