WHO WE ARE
- Missouri Alliance for Family Restoration (MOAFR) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of registrants, family members, and others who have been affected by the stigma of the Missouri Sex Offender Registry. We do this by encouraging legislation that can enable registrants to live productive lives. We are volunteer registrants and family members, working with professional lobbyists.
OUR POSITIONS
- Sexual harm of any kind is unacceptable. We believe taxpayer money could be better spent on programs teaching prevention rather than registering and monitoring thousands of people who made bad choices in the past and are trying to rebuild their lives as law-abiding citizens.
- Sex offense laws should be based on sound scientific research, not fear, panic or paranoia.
- Current laws tend to paint those convicted of a sex offense with a single broad brush. Public registries and restrictive residency laws do not protect children but instead ostracize and dehumanize individuals and their families, making transition back into society extremely difficult.
- We support restoring the path for removal from the public registry that the Missouri legislature passed unanimously in 2018, but was voided by the MO Supreme Court in 2023 due to confusing language left in the statute.
- Based on over 20 years of scholarly research, we know that public registries have not served the stated purpose of making the community safer. Studies have shown that most sex offenses are first-time offenses*, not committed by those who have served their punishment and are on a public registry. Statistics show that the recidivism rate among those convicted of sex offenses is among the lowest of all crimes*, and nearly non-existent 10 years after release*.
- Over 93% of sex offenses occur within circles of trust: families, schools, sports, religious institutions, and not by persons unknown to the victim*. Thus, registries and place restrictions do not enhance safety, while we believe preventative education would.
- We do not believe in punishment or social banishment extending long after conviction and payment of one’s debt to society. We know that public registries result in employment and housing discrimination as well as vigilantism against the registrant and also against their children and other family members*.
- We believe that engaging professional lobbyists who can build relationships with lawmakers in the state capital is the best way to encourage legislation to improve the lives of registered individuals and their families.
*** See supporting documentation on the Resources Page under “Education.”
OUR LOBBYISTS
We are the only organization in Missouri that hires professional lobbyists to influence state legislation affecting those on the registry. Our dedicated lobbyists with the prominent Jefferson City firm, Gamble & Schlemeier, include Sarah Schlemeier Henke, a seasoned legislative advocate, and Jeff Smith, a former Missouri state senator with an interest in helping justice-impacted individuals and families. Sarah and Jeff successfully halted several bills in 2025 that would have had devastating consequences for people on all three statutory tiers that apply to registrants.
Our lobbyists are monitoring bills filed during the 2026 legislative session. They have had very encouraging conversations with influential stakeholders prior to the session to restore the path for removal from the registry.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
BECOME A MEMBER
Your donations help us retain professional lobbyists and cover our ongoing administrative expenses. We are an all-volunteer organization, and we fund many activities out of pocket, such as sending letters through the USPS to recruit additional donors and volunteers.
Checks for any amount may be mailed to MOAFR, PO Box 802, Ballwin, MO 63011
DONATE
WHAT DO I GET FOR MY DONATION?
If you are affected by the Registry, you are helping us to help you. We have found that having well-known and respected lobbyists talking with and informing lawmakers in the Capitol building is the most valuable resource there is. We invite donors and volunteers to webinars with our lobbyists during the legislative session to learn about our strategies and progress. We will email or mail a summary to donors and volunteers who miss these webinars. Your donation of any amount will get you on this exclusive mailing list.
