Alabama Supreme Court hears argument on whether voyeurism qualifies as a sex-offense, a ruling that would affect probation length and registration

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Supreme Court of Alabama heard oral argument in SC20240771 on whether “degree voyeurism” falls within the state statute that defines offenses requiring sex-offender designation and therefore may be subject to longer probation terms and federal registration requirements.

The issue matters because a determination that voyeurism qualifies as a sex-offense can lift a three-year probation cap and trigger registration under SORNA (the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act), potentially affecting defendants who committed the conduct before the statute was amended and those sentenced in the interim.

State attorney Dylan Walden told the court the conduct at issue — taking images or video of another person’s intimate areas without consent — meets several statutory definitions the legislature included to capture video voyeurism. The…