An Update on Places Sex Offenders Can't Go

An amended statute and a recent case improve our understanding of places sex offenders cannot live and go in North Carolina. First, the statute. Under G.S. 14-208.16, a registered sex offender may not reside within 1,000 feet of a school or child care center. The law has always defined “child care center” by reference to G.S. 110-86(3), which defines a child care center as “an arrangement where, at any one time, there are three or more preschool-age children or nine or more school-age children receiving child care.” “Child care,” in turn, is defined as a “program or arrangement where three or more children less than 13 years old, who do not reside where the care is provided, receive care on a regular basis of at least once per week for more than four hours but less than 24 hours per day from persons other than their guardians or full-time custodians, or from persons not related to them by birth, marriage, or adoption.” G.S. 110-86(2). The definition then goes on to exclude 11 types of care, like certain home care arrangements, recreational programs, and drop-in care at a place like a gym or church. In short, it’s a very specific definition that excludes some things that many people would probably think are covered. Legislation signed into law by the governor on June 24, 2014, S.L. 2014-21 (H 777), amends G.S. 14-208.16 to fill one perceived gap in the statute. The amendment provides that the term “child care center” does, for purposes of the sex [...]