Oxford woman urges Congress to create national domestic violence offender registry

Amanda Topole of Oxford pushed federal lawmakers to establish a national registry for domestic violence offenders, saying inconsistent state laws create gaps that allow offenders to evade accountability and put survivors at risk.

Topole launched an online petition on Change.org about five months ago and has since contacted the offices of Mississippi’s congressional delegation. She framed her effort as a complement to recent state-level moves, but said a national system is needed for consistent protection and public awareness. “After meeting and speaking to many different survivors in day-to-day life, it helped me to realize how frequent domestic violence occurs,” Topole said. “It made me question why there was not a registry in place to help prevent people from becoming involved in situations where domestic violence is more likely to occur.”

Mississippi lawmakers are considering legislation known as the Purple Angels Law, which would create a public, searchable registry for people convicted of two or more domestic violence offenses and would be maintained by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. The proposal mirrors a new Tennessee law, where a domestic violence repeat offender registry went live earlier this month. Topole praised those measures but warned they can be circumvented. “I love the progress that Tennessee has made, but without a national registry, and without separate registries in every state, an offender can simply move somewhere else and avoid being listed,” she said.

A central policy dispute is the threshold for inclusion. Both Mississippi’s proposal and the Tennessee model require two convictions before a person is listed. Topole argued that waiting for a second conviction often leaves survivors exposed to further harm. “Typically, to even reach one conviction, there have already been many instances of violence,” she said. She advocates for listing after a single conviction, saying it could deter future abuse and give survivors and families earlier access to information. Topole acknowledged privacy concerns but noted that much of the proposed registry information would already be public record. “Everyone deserves to know the people they keep company with,” she said. “Survivors deserve peace of mind, especially when entering new relationships.”

Topole cited the impact on children as a key motivation. “Children are often overlooked if they aren’t direct targets,” she said. “What they experience will affect them for the rest of their lives.” Having lived in Oxford for five years, she said her own stable marriage informs her perspective but not her sense of urgency for broader protections. “I want a national bill for national accountability, so that no matter where someone lives, this bill would hold them accountable, and help survivors and many others stay out of possible domestic violence situations,” she said.

For Lafayette County residents, the debate has practical consequences: whether background checks, housing applications, custody decisions, and community safety efforts will be supported by a uniform national resource or remain subject to disparate state rules. Topole said the petition has drawn strong support from survivors but needs wider visibility to attract federal attention. The next steps include growing the petition, continuing outreach to congressional offices, and monitoring the Mississippi legislature’s progress on the Purple Angels Law.