Those seeking a COVID-19 test will not exit his/her vehicle. All of the testing are self-administered while seated in your vehicle. A health worker will give instructions at the passenger or driver window (just roll your window down a few inches for testing). Self-administered testing typically takes less than a minute per person.

Before you arrive, fill out this registration form (also available in Spanish) and print a copy to take to your appointment.

In addition to your printed registration form, you need to bring an ID. Examples of acceptable forms of identification include your driver license, voter registration card, passport and utility bill.

If you have questions, call Wake County’s COVID-19 hotline at 919-856-7044 or email covid19.questions@wakegov.com.

July 9–11:

Apex High School

1501 Laura Duncan Road, Apex
10 a.m.–3 p.m.

July 13–14 & July 16–18:

Wake County Commons Building

4011 Carya Drive, Raleigh
10 a.m.–3 p.m.

July 27–28 & July 30–Aug. 1

Sunnybrook Building Parking Deck

2925 Holston Lane, Raleigh 27610
9 a.m.–3 p.m.

As more locations are confirmed, we’ll share them here. For those that do not live in Wake County, testing may be found by clicking here. 

Free alternative testing may be found here. At this time, there is no cost.

(updated 07/27/2020)

And my reply?  “Boo-hoo.”  I am sick to death of hearing it.  Come on, peeps.  Life IS hard due to the virus.  But you know what else is hard?  Living ON or WITH someone on the registry.  People are now getting a small taste of what it is like to live by the laws of the registry.

This little pandemic, not to disregard the severity of it, will pass.  It will.  The effects of the registry will not pass.  Let’s compare – maybe you lost a job due to the virus outbreak.  Many people on the registry are continually denied jobs, and not for lack of trying but simply because of their label.  Maybe you say you have to watch church on Facebook because you can’t attend right now.  Well, Registrants can’t use Facebook.  Nor can they attend church in many states.  Your park is closed and you can’t run your trail?  Guess what?  Neither can registrants.  Your library is closed?  Registrants can’t go anyway, and yes – they can read.  <Insert the sarcasm.  I am feeling snarky today.>

I honestly have self-diagnosed myself with PTSD after living through the effects this registry puts on families.  Every step we take is calculated.  It is much more than “should I wear a mask to the store and use my hand sanitizer.”  Again, these things are critically important right now, but so is my life and my well-being.  So is the life of my family.  So is the life of every other registrant out there trying to stay sane despite laws that work extremely hard to tear you apart.  Life on the registry is a 30 year or longer “quarantine sentence.”  So pardon me if I don’t take kindly to the whining that Walmart closed early or you have to order your toilet paper from Amazon.  Your life will soon be back to some kind of normal.  Mine, not so much.

And you know what else?  People seem scared to interact with a registrant, as if they will catch “the virus.”  Yes, registrants are ostracized from the rest of the world and it is the very laws that set it up to be this way.  This is why we need voices.  We know that squeaky wheels get the oil.  Why aren’t registrants and family and friends of registrants being squeaky right now?  IT. IS. TIME.

We are in a day and age where the talks of equality are bubbling to the surface.  I hope we all remember that humans are real people with flaws.  No matter their age, gender, race, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, or registry status, we are all humans.  Please don’t make this turmoil we are experiencing be about you.  Don’t sing the “oh woe is me” song.  Take this opportunity to value people.  All people.  Including those who are reformed registrants.  Give second chances.  Show compassion.  Experience forgiveness.  Resist making assumptions that all people are guilty.

I know, I know.  I am not feeling quite so positive right now.  This is actually why I write these blogs – to heal my wounds.  I am whining now, but I’ll be over this soon. I am the very thing I am annoyed by – a whiner.  Okay, whining is officially over.

It is time to be inspired for change.  It is time to voice your concerns over the registry.  It is time we work together.  NARSOL is hosting a VIRTUAL webcast this weekend to replace the annual conference and we need you.  Everything is different this year.  We’ve never had a virtual webcast like this, and we still need people to register.  Sit in the comfort and privacy of your home and listen to influential people with great knowledge educate us on how to be change agents against these laws.  I challenge you.  It will be the best $35 you’ve ever spent.

North Carolina has a vibrant military community filled with military retirees and disability service-connected veterans. Many citizens on the North Carolina sex offender registry are veterans. Veterans on the registry may choose to use base exchanges and commissaries; thus, this rule affects them.

The rule change applies to all employees and patrons–including military personnel, family members, veterans, civilian employees, et al.

Examples of activities include: visiting the Commissary, PX, PMO, Contractor Vetting Office, Visitor Center, IPAC, Postal, Mess Halls, and Barber Shops, etc.

Anyone not wearing a face covering of some type will be turned away. They will be allowed to enter as soon as they return with a face covering.

Fort Bragg, public affairs office, said the face-covering does not have to be a mask. It can be any sort of cloth item that covers the nose and mouth.

There is no timeline as to when the facemask requirement will end.

Parts of the SORA were declared unconstitutional in 2016, and on Feb. 14, 2020 U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland gave the legislature 60 days to rewrite the law. Offenders were still required to report through mid-May. But on Monday, Cleland issued an interim, temporary order prohibiting officials from “enforcing registration, verification, school zone, and fee violations” of the sex offender registry law that happened or possibly happened from Feb. 14 “until the current crisis has ended.”

Read the entire story by clicking here. 

SORNA has an uncanny ability to disqualify registrants from seeking employment opportunities because of states that implement additional restriction laws or ordinances. Such methods are known as collateral consequences of the sex offender registry. 

Now that the COVID-19 virus pandemic is a present part of our lives, some registrants are asking if they qualify for funds from the stimulus package?  

For many registrants, the simple answer may be “yes!”. However, there are some steps to ensure those impacted by the registry receive stimulus funds promptly. This moment in our history may be the only period where those impacted by the registry are allowed to receive a federal benefit without being excluded. 

The IRS said the Treasury Department is developing a web-based portal for individuals to provide their banking information to the tax agency online. That will allow consumers to receive immediate payment instead of waiting for their checks to arrive in the mail. However, that portal isn’t yet available. 

The IRS said consumers should check this agency website for updated information about the stimulus payments. 

If I don’t provide direct deposit info, will my check be delayed?

According to media sources, some people without direct deposit information may not receive their checks until mid-August. The IRS will start making direct deposits in mid-April to those that have filed a 2018 and 2019 tax return provided they have included their banking information on the tax return by a return or refund method. 

Taxpayers that did not provide the IRS with banking information will receive paper checks. Those checks will be issued starting late August to early September.

I owe child support. Will that impact my check? 

Anyone owing child support will see a reduced check amount. But the average payout after garnishment should be around $700. 

I owe back taxes. Will that reduce my check?

No. The payments won’t be affected by taxes that you owe to the IRS or any other agency. 

I am behind on student loans. Will that impact my check?

No.

I am not required to file a tax return because I am not working. Will I receive a check? 

If you have not filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return, more than likely, you will not receive a stimulus check. However, you may quickly file a 2019 tax return so that the IRS will know where you live and where to mail a check. But you must file your 2019 tax return quickly!

Will Social Security, SSI, or disability recipients get a stimulus check even if they didn’t file taxes?

Yes. The Social Security Administration tracks their income and will be able to get their check or direct deposit to them. Disability recipients do not apply to those receiving benefits from Veterans Affairs. 

What if I am a disabled veteran drawing a compensation rating (i.e. 10% to 100%)? Will I get a check? 

If you filed a federal tax return the IRS is using the addresses or direct deposit information on file from Americans’ 2018 or 2019 tax returns. Therefore, if you filed a tax return, even if the amount was zero dollars earned, you will receive a stimulus check.  A majority of those tax filings will be a mailed check instead of direct deposit. 

If you did not file a tax return despite receiving a disability compensation rating you may not receive a stimulus check. But those receiving a veteran’s disability compensation rating do qualify to receive a stimulus payment. To correct this, you should immediately file a tax return as soon as possible to trigger the IRS to send you a stimulus check. 

U.S. Senators sent a letter to the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs, Treasury, and Social Security Administration pleading to fix this broken issue.

What if I do not give the IRS my banking information?

Some people without direct deposit information may not receive their checks until mid-August.

What if I moved? What will happen to my check if mailed?

The IRS will send payments to the last address known on file based on the most recent tax return. Checks are prohibited from being forwarded by postal authorities, even if there is a forwarding address on file with the post office. Unclaimed or wrong addresses will be returned to the IRS for reprocessing at a much later time. 

Can prison inmates or civil commitment people get a stimulus check?

No. They are dependents of the state. However, those at half-way home programs or jail awaiting trial qualify for payment. 

Prison (federal and state) inmates that erroneously receive any government incentive or stimulus based program could be forced to repay or garnished by the government from a 2009 federal ruling. In a majority of these cases, payments may be redirected towards restitution programs flagged by the government as a part of the court agreement.

I am on probation or the sex offender registry. Do I qualify for a stimulus check?

Yes. 

What if I do not have a banking account but qualify for the stimulus check?

You will receive a check by mail.

How will I know if I have a stimulus check in the mail or direct deposit?

Watch your mailbox for a letter from the IRS. For security reasons, the IRS plans to mail a letter about the economic impact payment to the taxpayer’s last known address within 15 days after the payment is paid. The letter will provide information on how the payment was made and how to report any failure to receive the payment. If a taxpayer is unsure they’re receiving a legitimate letter, the IRS urges taxpayers to visit IRS.gov first to protect against scam artists.

What is the deadline to file and pay federal income taxes?

July 15, 2020

Editors note: Originally published 4/2/2020. Updated 5 PM, 4/11/2020.  This article has been updated as new or changed information becomes available.  

March 30 NARSOL issued a second press release demanding that law enforcement immediately cease all in-person requirements of registrants. A month after the seriousness of this health crisis was recognized in the United States, state officials in only two states, Oregon and Pennsylvania, have issued directives for these types of required visits to be suspended state-wide. In virtually every other state, county after county is still requiring in-person verification and updates, putting everyone involved and their families at risk. What will it take for authorities to act responsibly?

There are “at-risk inmates who are non-violent and pose minimal likelihood of recidivism and who might be safer serving their sentences in home confinement,” Barr wrote in a two-page memo to the Bureau of Prisons.

But on closer inspection, his plan may exclude many vulnerable prisoners from being released—and may also create racial disparities in who gets out of prison.

Click here to read the entire story

FARGO — The Fargo Police Department is allowing sex offenders to register by phone in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus, while other local law enforcement agencies continue the registration process with few changes.

Strategies for reducing COVID-19 exposure by revising the implementation of registration policies, housing banishment laws, and other restrictions impacting people with convictions

MARCH 28, 2020 – We join numerous criminal justice organizations that have issued policy recommendations to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by suspending or eliminating non-essential police and court functions, while ensuring that law enforcement resources are used wisely to keep communities safe.

This guidance focuses on policies affecting people listed on sex offense registries. More than 900,000 Americans are subject to registration and/or housing banishment laws. The nature of these rules and regulations and the enormous number of people who must comply with or enforce them, raise urgent concerns about public health and resource allocation in this extraordinary time.

During the registration process, people are typically required to fill out forms stating their address, employer, school, phone number, vehicle data, etc. and to return, in person, to report even trivial changes.  These cumbersome registration processes tie up sworn officers who could instead be investigating crime, attending to emergencies, and assisting people in crisis.

Housing banishment laws often prohibit people from residing in the vast majority of residential areas of a city or town. As a result, those with stable homes, or several housing options, frequently become homeless anyway. This false scarcity of housing also increases prison populations as people have no legally authorized home in which to serve their parole or probation.

Even before COVID-19, the unintended consequences of these policies were well documented. The current pandemic, however, adds urgency to revise current registry and banishment practices as many of them undermine the critical public health measures being implemented nationwide to contain its spread.

The following strategies would reduce COVID-19 exposure among law enforcement officials and those required to register, as well as their families at home, and the broader community:

1. Suspend in-person registration requirements. Registration requires frequent in-person visits to police stations or jails, where dozens of people commonly congregate in waiting rooms or bullpens, multiplying the risk of transmission of COVID-19. Following the lead of Oregon and other jurisdictions, this process should be modified.
2. Waive or suspend housing banishment laws and other housing restrictions. People experiencing homelessness need emergency housing in order to comply with stay-at-home orders or self-quarantine. But many people listed on “homeless registries” have places they could otherwise reside: housing restrictions alone caused their homelessness. Likewise, prisons have backlogs of people incarcerated past their release dates, or who would be released on parole or probation supervision, if so much housing were not barred. Suspending these restrictions will allow cities to house people more efficiently, conserve emergency beds, and give prison officials the flexibility to place people in homes they already have available. This will protect their populations from the heightened risk of contagion created by needless incarceration and homeless encampments when there are safe available homes for people on the registries.
3. Waive or suspend arrests and prosecutions for failure-to-comply offenses. “Failure to comply” charges are the result of a missed deadline to reregister or update registration. Akin to technical parole violations, these are often hyper-technicalities that stem from the difficulty of following so many onerous reporting requirements, and have no reported correlation to public safety. Despite this, they contribute to jail and prison churn, risking increased transmission of the virus.
4. Suspend fees for registration. Economists are projecting 14%-20% GDP contraction for this quarter and unemployment in double-digit rates. Many people have already lost their incomes as a result of the shutdowns. People with past convictions are far more likely to be poor, with reduced job prospects. Non-payment of these fees can result in failure-to-comply charges; during this crisis registration fees should be suspended.
5. Suspend in-person address verifications. Routine police visits to the addresses of people listed on registries, for the sole purpose of an address check, should be suspended. These visits are widespread, and number in the tens of thousands. At a time when even 911 calls are under stress, law enforcement should be able to redirect their resources as needed.
6. Suspend Internet access restrictions. Some people who are on probation or parole are forbidden from accessing wide swaths of the Internet, and some states have laws limiting Internet access for people listed on a conviction registry. During this crisis, access to the Internet has become even more critical: nearly everyone must rely on Internet access for work, news, homeschooling, services, and family connections. Individual safety, as well as public health compliance, requires timely online access to crucial information about social and health services, as well as access to medical services that are moving online.
7. “Step down” people in civil commitment. More than 6,000 people are locked post-sentence in prison-like state civil commitment facilities, that pose the same coronavirus dangers to staff and detainees as jails and prisons. States should speed up “step-down” procedures and move people into supervised community settings.

CONCLUSION

State conviction registries were intended to be a tool for law enforcement officials and were limited in scope. In the past quarter century, legislators expanded these public databases and added hundreds of additional reporting requirements and other restrictions, including housing and public space banishment laws, and long-term confinement in civil commitment. Research shows that at least 95% of those arrested for a sexual offense have never had a previous sex offense conviction, while most people currently required to register are unlikely to be re-arrested for a sexual offense.  Rather than improve public safety, these regulations:

• Systematically displace people from housing and employment,
• Weaken the resilience of families and communities coping with crime and mass incarceration,
• Divert critical resources away from crime survivors and proven prevention strategies and expand them on regulating the few people who have already been held accountable and punished.

In contrast, public safety and crime reduction principles emphasize a public health approach to prevention, involving, among other things, primary prevention, focusing on the warning signs inside familial and social circles, and building early and comprehensive support and intervention for people, families, and communities most impacted by violence.

We urge policymakers to suspend rules and policies that are not essential to public safety or that contribute to the spread of COVID-19. These strategies allow law enforcement, on the frontlines of this catastrophe, to dedicate more of their limited resources toward crisis intervention and emergency assistance

Click here to read the entire article