Current sex offender legislation focuses on preventing subsequent sex offenses—providing a tool for law enforcement and the public to monitor convicted sex offenders. This scheme fails to account for the original victim and the potential for future known or related victims. Furthermore, it is inconsistent with empirical research regarding the recidivism of convicted sex offenders. This research has three specific goals—(1) analyze the descriptive details available for Washington state registered sex offenders (RSO; n=19,532), (2) assess the accuracy of public perception for Washington state residents regarding sex offender characteristics and legislation, and (3) assess the role or influence of public perception within the legislative drafting and enactment process. Question 1 utilizes the Washington State Sex Offender Registry (n=19,532). The analysis revealed that almost 40% of RSOs in Washington are Male, White, and between 36–59 years of age. Further, supplemental data regarding victim relation for RSOs (n=3,273) revealed that 90% perpetrated against a juvenile and 35% against a juvenile family member. Question 2 utilizes previously collected public perception data for Washington State residents (Fisher and Pedneault, 2017). Compared with the descriptive analysis from Question 1, public perception of Washington state residents was incorrect concerning the offender's age and risk for recidivism. Question 3 utilizes semi-structured interviews of Washington state legislators, and the resulting analysis utilizes the Grounded Theory of qualitative analysis in Atlas.ti. The interview respondents discussed their legislative function, providing different legislative experiences as anecdotal evidence. There are multiple entry points for public perception into the legislative process—the main two being direct constituent contact and legislative standing committee hearings. The complexity of public perception within the drafting and enactment process is exacerbated when legislating public safety issues due to the need to overcome fear and misperception.