//**PROOF OF CONCEPT** — full quality-of-life profile for Massachusetts, 16 dimensions of the sex-offense registry regime. Ratings are researcher judgments from the //registrant's// perspective; each links its statute. NOT legal advice.//

====== Massachusetts — Registry Profile ======

**Weighted burden index 31.7/100** · rank **47 of 56** (1 = least burdensome) · 11/16 dimensions statute-verified.

Legend: 🟢 favorable (less burden) · 🟠 moderate · 🔴 restrictive · ℹ️ context · ⚪ unknown. ✓ = statute-verified.

^ Dimension ^ Rating ^ Detail ^ Statute ^
| **Registration length** | 🟠 moderate | 20 years, or life for 2+ sex offenses / a sexually violent offense / sexually violent predator — **lifetime** | [[https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleII/Chapter6/Section178G|M.G.L. c. 6 §178G]] ✓ |
| **Removal / petition off** | 🟠 moderate | Petition SORB after 10 yrs offense-free proving by clear & convincing evidence no danger (discretionary); reclassification also available (178L) — ⚑ needs human review | [[https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleII/Chapter6/Section178G|M.G.L. c. 6 §178G]] ✓ |
| **Individualized risk assessment** | 🟢 favorable | Yes — SORB conducts a risk assessment process (not a psychological evaluation) | n/a |
| **In-person reporting frequency** | 🟠 moderate | Annually — Level 1 in writing; Level 2/3 in person | 178F, 178F 1/2 |
| **Registration fee** | 🟠 moderate | Yes — $75 at initial registration and annually thereafter; waivable for undue hardship | [[https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleII/Chapter6/Section178Q|Ch. 6 §178Q]] ✓ |
| **Residency restriction** | 🟢 favorable | No statewide residency ban — SORB statute imposes no school/park buffer; only limit is Level 3 offenders barred from nursing/convalescent homes — local: ~40 municipal residency-buffer ordinances were struck down as unlawful in Doe v. City of Lynn (Mass. 2015) | [[https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleII/Chapter6/Section178K|M.G.L. c. 6 § 178K]] ✓ |
| **Employment restriction** | 🟠 moderate | Prohibited from ice cream truck vending | 265-48 |
| **Presence / loitering restriction** | 🟢 favorable | No statutory presence/loitering ban — SORB statute (Ch. 6 §178K) imposes no exclusion or buffer zone near schools, parks, playgrounds, or where children gather; the only location limit is Level 3 offenders barred from residing in nursing/convalescent homes | [[https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleII/Chapter6/Section178K|M.G.L. c. 6 §178K]] ✓ |
| **Visitor registration trigger** | 🟠 moderate | No specific visitor rule; 'secondary address' triggers at 14+ aggregate days/year or 4+ consecutive days/month | §178C |
| **Internet identifiers required** | 🟢 favorable | Not required — §178D registration-data list enumerates fields and omits internet identifiers, email addresses, or screen names | [[https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleII/Chapter6/Section178D|Ch. 6 §178D]] ✓ |
| **Civil commitment** | 🔴 restrictive | Yes — Ch. 123A civil commitment (impacted by Chapman and Blake decisions) | § 123A-13 |
| **Public website exposure** | 🟠 moderate | Lowest tier NOT public — Level 1 is law-enforcement only; only Level 2 and Level 3 are disclosed to the public/internet — lowest tier withheld | [[https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleII/Chapter6/Section178K|M.G.L. c. 6 §178K]] ✓ |
| **Halloween / holiday restriction** | 🟢 favorable | No statutory Halloween/holiday restriction found in the SORB law (Ch. 6 §178K read; none present) | [[https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleII/Chapter6/Section178K|M.G.L. c. 6 §178K]] ✓ |
| **Marked driver's license / ID** | 🟢 favorable | Not marked — M.G.L. c. 90 §8 exhaustively lists driver's license/learner's permit contents (photo, number, name, address, description, Veteran, REAL ID, under-21 design) with no sex-offender designation, code, or brand | [[https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIV/Chapter90/Section8|M.G.L. c. 90 §8]] ✓ |
| **Community notification (& who pays)** | 🟠 moderate | Tiered: Level 1 not public; Level 2 public access on request; only Level 3 triggers active police outreach to community organizations. Registrant does not pay | [[https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleII/Chapter6/Section178K|M.G.L. c. 6 §178K]] ✓ |
| **Age of consent (context)** | ℹ️ context | 16 | [[https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleI/Chapter265/Section23|Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 265 § 23]] ✓ |

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Source wiki page: [[massachusetts|Massachusetts]] · compare with others via [[playground:qol_index|the index]].
//Weighted index from the v1 model (weighted_score.py); weights encode NARSOL's judgment about everyday lived burden. Removal ratings and the weights need NARSOL/attorney sign-off before authoritative use.//