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.
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 | 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 | 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 | 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) | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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) | 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 | 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 | M.G.L. c. 6 §178K ✓ |
| Age of consent (context) | ℹ️ context | 16 | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 265 § 23 ✓ |
Source wiki page: Massachusetts · 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.