Creates tiered sex offender registration system

Existing law requires persons convicted of specified sex offenses and certain acts of human trafficking for purposes of committing various sex offenses or extortion, as specified, or attempts to commit those offenses, to register with local law enforcement agencies while residing in the state or while attending school or working in the state. Willful failure to register, as required, is a misdemeanor, or a felony, depending on the underlying offense.

Existing law requires the Department of Justice to make available to the public information concerning registered sex offenders on an Internet Web site, as specified. Existing law requires that information to include, among other things, whether the offender was subsequently incarcerated for another felony. Existing law also authorizes a person to file an application for exclusion from the Internet Web site and establishes the requirements for exclusion.

This bill would, commencing January 1, 2021, instead establish 3 tiers of registration based on specified criteria, for periods of at least 10 years, at least 20 years, and life, respectively, for a conviction of specified sex offenses, and 5 years and 10 years for tiers one and two, respectively, for an adjudication as a ward of the juvenile court for specified sex offenses, as specified. The bill would allow the Department of Justice to place a person in a tier-to-be-determined category for a maximum period of 24 months if his or her appropriate tier designation cannot be immediately ascertained. The bill would establish procedures for termination from the sex offender registry for a registered sex offender who is a tier one or tier two offender and who completes his or her mandated minimum registration period under specified conditions. The bill would require the offender to file a petition at the expiration of his or her minimum registration period and would authorize the district attorney to request a hearing on the petition if the petitioner has not fulfilled the requirement of successful tier completion, as specified. The bill would establish procedures for a person required to register as a tier three offender based solely on his or her risk level to petition the court for termination from the registry after 20 years from release of custody, if certain criteria are met. The bill would also revise the criteria for exclusion from the Internet Web site.

Existing law requires all basic information stored in state or local criminal offender record information systems to be recorded in the form of specified data elements, including the disposition of the offense.

This bill would require that information to include sentence enhancement data elements.

Existing law establishes the Sex Offender Management Board within the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Existing law requires the board to address issues, concerns, and problems related to the community management of adult sex offenders.

This bill would instead require the board to address any issues, concerns, and problems related to the community management of all sex offenders.