PROOF OF CONCEPT — full quality-of-life profile for California, 16 dimensions of the sex-offense registry regime. Ratings are researcher judgments from the registrant's perspective; each links its statute. NOT legal advice.
Weighted burden index 34.8/100 · rank 43 of 56 (1 = least burdensome) · 11/16 dimensions statute-verified · 1 unverified.
Legend: 🟢 favorable (less burden) · 🟠 moderate · 🔴 restrictive · ℹ️ context · ⚪ unknown. ✓ = statute-verified.
| Dimension | Rating | Detail | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration length | 🟠 moderate | Tiered (SB 384) — tier 1 min 10 yrs, tier 2 min 20 yrs, tier 3 life; tiers 1 and 2 have defined minimum terms that can be terminated | Cal. Penal Code § 290 ✓ |
| Removal / petition off | 🟢 favorable | Genuine tiered petition (SB 384, § 290.5) — tier 1 may petition after 10 yrs, tier 2 after 20 yrs; court-discretionary but a reasonably accessible end-path for the large tier 1/2 populations — ⚑ needs human review | Cal. Penal Code § 290.5 ✓ |
| Individualized risk assessment | 🟢 favorable | Yes — SARATSO risk assessment tool | § 290.04 |
| In-person reporting frequency | 🟠 moderate | Transients monthly; SVPs quarterly; all others yearly | § 290.012 |
| Registration fee | 🟢 favorable | No fee — Penal Code bars any entity from requiring payment to register or update registration | § 290.012 ✓ |
| Residency restriction | 🟠 moderate | Limited — Jessica's Law 2000 ft ban (PC 3003.5(b)) struck down as blanket rule by In re Taylor (2015); now imposed only case-by-case on parolees under supervision — 2000 ft · local: many local ordinances enacted post-2006; a number invalidated/preempted after litigation | Cal. Penal Code § 3003.5(b) (blanket enforcement voided by In re Taylor, 60 Cal.4th 1019 (2015)) ✓ |
| Employment restriction | 🟠 moderate | Limited — § 290.95(c) bars registrants convicted of an offense against a minor under 16 from working/volunteering directly and unaccompanied with minors (or with supervisory/disciplinary power over them); other registrants need only disclose registrant status when applying for such work | Cal. Penal Code § 290.95 ✓ |
| Presence / loitering restriction | 🟠 moderate | Limited — § 626.81 makes it a misdemeanor for a § 290 registrant to enter school grounds without lawful business AND written permission from the chief administrator; no broad parks/where-children-gather ban | Cal. Penal Code § 626.81 ✓ |
| Visitor registration trigger | 🟠 moderate | Must register within 5 working days of entering | § 290.002 |
| Internet identifiers required | 🔴 restrictive | Yes — 'a list of all Internet identifiers actually used by the person' required | Penal Code § 290.015(a)(4) ✓ |
| Civil commitment | 🔴 restrictive | SVP civil commitment statute (WIC 6600-6609.3) | 6600-6609.3 |
| Public website exposure | 🟠 moderate | Tiered Megan's Law site — tier 3 full address, tier 2 at community/ZIP level, tier 1 (lowest) excluded from the public site; narrow family-offense exclusion applications also available — lowest tier withheld | Cal. Penal Code § 290.46 ✓ |
| Halloween / holiday restriction | ⚪ unknown | No statewide Halloween statute located; CDCR 'Operation Boo' is a parole condition — could not confirm from a source read | n/a |
| Marked driver's license / ID | 🟢 favorable | Not marked — Veh. Code § 13005 ID-card contents require photo/description/security features only; no registrant designation | Cal. Veh. Code § 13005 ✓ |
| Community notification (& who pays) | 🟠 moderate | Passive Megan's Law site (§ 290.46) plus risk-based active LE notification 'by whatever means' under § 290.45; no registrant cost | Cal. Penal Code § 290.45; § 290.46 ✓ |
| Age of consent (context) | ℹ️ context | 18 — close-in-age: intercourse within 3 years of age is a misdemeanor rather than a felony | Penal Code § 261.5 (unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor) ✓ |
Source wiki page: California · compare with others via 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.