Governor Rell: Legislation Will Toughen and Expand

Reporting Requirements of Sex Offenders

Changes to Sex Offender Registry Include More Frequent

Reporting, New ID Requirements

            Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that her office has submitted testimony to the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee in support of her bill to improve Connecticut’s sex offender registry and to expand the reporting requirements of sex offenders, including the frequency of reporting and the types of information reported.

HB 6384, An Act Concerning the Registration of Sexual Offenders, which makes the state’s sex offender registry conform to the federal Adam Walsh Child Protection Act, provides greater public protection by making significant improvements to the sex offender registry and by placing the toughest notification requirement in the country on registered sex offenders entering the state. Out-of-state registrants would be required to provide prior written notice to Connecticut authorities 48 hours before entering the state.

“Public safety is the most important responsibility of government and we must be especially vigilant on behalf of our youngest and most vulnerable citizens,” Governor Rell said. “These changes will increase the frequency of reporting and expand the amount of information available on sex offenders to include their employers and information about vehicles that offenders drive.

“The more the public knows, the better protected they will be,” the Governor said. “With these changes, the information available about registered sex offenders in Connecticut will be comprehensive and the host of new reporting requirements we are imposing on them will help law enforcement officials keep close tabs on their activities.”

           The bill also includes revisions to the registry that will make the sex offender registry a three-tiered, “offense-based” system with new requirements and additional information about offenders. The three tiers are based on the seriousness of the offense, with Tier 1 offenses requiring 15-year registration, Tier 2 offenses requiring 25-year registration and Tier 3 offenses requiring lifetime registration.

            Under the restructured system, registrants will be required to report in person to law enforcement registry personnel between one and four times per year, depending on their tier designation. In addition, they face additional reporting requirements including the name and address of their employer, the license plate number and description of their vehicle, the name of their probation or parole officer and their telephone or cell phone numbers. 

            They will be required to have a Connecticut driver’s license or non-driver identification card. They will also have to provide copies of their birth certificate, travel and immigration documents and any professional licenses.

            Under this bill, registration will also apply to individuals who had previously eluded registration as a result of a release into the community that predated statutory requirements. Such individuals that have been convicted or found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect of a sex offense and reenter the criminal justice system for any crime would be required to register.

The law expands the list of educational institutions that if registrants worked in or attended, such registrants must report to the registry.  The expansion captures many of those locations where children are found outside of school.