Opinion ID: 3181874
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Future Sex Offender Registration

Text: In Hazel v. State, we held that a person convicted of kidnapping could not challenge whether he was required to register as a sex offender until the date of his release from prison, because that issue is entirely dependent on the sex offender registry statute in existence at that time. 377 S.C. 60, 64, 659 S.E.2d 137, 139 (2008) (detailing the history of the sex offender registry as it related to kidnapping offenses). Here, Thompson will not be released from prison until 2020. Because there is no way to determine whether the General Assembly will amend section 23- 3-430(C)(15) prior to 2020, a declaration that Thompson is not required to register as a sex offender in the future would be purely advisory. Thus, the second declaration does not present a justiciable controversy, and we affirm the court of appeals' decision with regards to the second declaration.