Michigan State Police removes tens of thousands from sex offender registry after court order

The Michigan Department of State Police have begun the process of removing individuals from the state’s sex offender registry following a Michigan Supreme Court ruling that said the Legislature’s 2021 amendments to the Sex Offender Registration Act could not retroactively extend registration requirements to anyone who committed relevant crimes prior to July 1, 2011.

“The MSP did not make this change to the law. However, the department maintains the database, is required to comply with the court’s order and is taking the necessary steps to implement the ruling,” Col. James F. Grady II, director of the Michigan State Police, said in a recent news release. “Any concerns about or efforts to change the law should be directed to the state Legislature.”

The order from the state Supreme Court, issued on Sept. 9, ruled that enacting statutory requirements on registration for individuals who committed crimes prior to the 2011 amendments — which determined the length of registration and frequency of reporting for different offenses — qualified as an “ex post facto punishment” and therefore violated the U.S. Constitution. 

The 2021 amendments to the legislation sought to retroactively extend the registration periods from amendments made in 2011. 

“Michigan’s registry is one of the largest in the country, and current estimates indicate that it includes approximately 45,000 Michiganders, and approximately 10,000 more people living out of state,” the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan wrote following the passage of the 2021 amendments. “The registry costs taxpayers millions each year with no demonstrable public safety benefit. Registration is based solely on past convictions (no matter how old), not present risk, which contradicts modern scientific research showing that scientific assessments are better at predicting risk than past convictions.”

According to a press release from the State Police, at the time of the court order, approximately 43,000 offenders were actively registered or required to be on the registry. As of Friday, State Police had removed more than 20,000 offenders, they said. As the review process continues, those numbers could change. 

As of 4:45 p.m. on Monday, the registry shows 14,124 offenders listed.