Governor Rell just signed a law closing a loophole in Connecticut's Sex Offender Laws. The new law makes it more difficult for a registered sex offender in Connecticut to change his or her name. A person must now declare the reason and intent for the name change to the courts, and the commissioner of public safety can challenge those reasons and the name change itself.

Being branded as a registered sex offender in Connecticut can seriously ruin your life. While there is a clear need to protect the public from dangerous sex offenders, there are also many cases when simple and innocent criminal charges in Connecticut can result in sex offender registration.

Public urination, statutory rape charges resulting from consensual sex between kids only a couple of years apart (if one happens to be of legal age) and many other situations can get you in a dangerous area. And prosecutors are often not sympathetic in these cases, even when the punishment nowhere near fits the crime. A criminal record that includes a sex offense registry can have a horrific impact on the future opportunities of a young person. It can follow you for the rest of your life, especially here in CT where all criminal charges are easily accessible public records.

If you are facing a criminal charge in Connecticut where you might be at risk of a conviction resulting in a sex offender registry requirement, please contact our Connecticut criminal law offices for a legal consultation on what you can do to prevent this from happening.