Project Summary: Discussion 1: Sex Offender Policy The first national registry to identify sex offenders publicly appeared in the United States in 2005. Prior to this, individual states were maintaining their own sex offender registries, resulting in inconsistent levels of information among different states. Today, the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Registry provides information on all registered sex offenders throughout the United States. Like other aspects of criminal justice policy, criminal justice professionals can critique the appropriateness and effectiveness of the national sex offender registry. They can reflect upon the emphasis placed on the national sex offender registry versus the lack of demand for other national registries. Criminal justice professionals may also explore justification for putting extended sanctions on sex offenders after they have served their time as well as the potential dangers of placing children on sex offender registries.