Alabama's New Sex Offender Law Now In Effect

TUSCALOOSA AL [AP] - A new state law went into effect Friday that requires all convicted adult sex offenders to have a special mark placed on their state driver's licenses or non-driver identification cards.

The mark will be visible to anyone who checks a person's identification -- from police officers to grocery store cashiers to clerks at video stores.

Any sex offender leaving prison or changing residences must get a new license that will bear the sex offender mark.

Attorney General Troy King said convicted sex offenders who already have a license or identification card must get the mark when their current card expires.

A spokeswoman for the Alabama Department of Public Safety in Montgomery said the system to mark the driver's licenses and ID cards is in place. She said at least two driver's licenses were issued Thursday bearing the new mark.

Defense attorneys said the law classifies all sex offenders as deviants, no matter the nature of the crime. The law affects those convicted of almost every type of sex crime in Alabama code, from sexual contact with minors to indecent exposure.

The Alabama Legislature passed the new Sex Offender Notification Act requiring the marked driver's licenses during a special session in July 2005.

Failure to comply is a Class C felony crime.