State v. D.S.

D. S. was required to register as a sex offender for an offense he committed as a youth. As an adult experiencing homelessness, D.S. has been unable to consistently comply with the onerous reporting requirements for homeless registrants.

Juvenile Law Center, King County Department of Public Defense, and six other organizations and advocates filed an amicus memorandum in the Washington Supreme Court in support of D.S.’s Petition for Review, arguing that mandatory youth sex offender registration is punitive. Our brief emphasized that sexual recidivism rates for youth are low, that youth sex offender registration and notification laws fail to improve or enhance public safety in any way, and that such laws are associated with severe harm to youth on the registry. We further argued that youth registration requirements disproportionately impact Black youth and individuals experiencing homelessness. 

The Washington Supreme Court denied D.S.’s Petition for Review.

LEGAL TEAM

Attorneys

Marsha Levick, Riya Saha Shah, Vic Wiener

Paralegals 

Tiffany Faith, Marissa Lariviere