An Act To Focus the Use of the Sex Offender Registry Website on the Most Dangerous Offenders

CONCEPT DRAFT SUMMARY

This bill is a concept draft pursuant to Joint Rule 208.

This bill proposes to delete from the sex offender registry website those registered sex offenders who pose little or no risk of reoffending to the community. While remaining in compliance with the requirements of registration and notification imposed by federal law, this bill proposes to review and remove if possible from the website the following registrants:

1. A registrant who committed a Class A crime requiring registration who has not been convicted of committing another crime against a person for a period of at least 20 years after release from incarceration;

2. A registrant who committed a Class B crime requiring registration who has not been convicted of committing another crime against a person for a period of at least 15 years;

3. A registrant who committed a Class C crime requiring registration who has not been convicted of committing another crime against a person for a period of at least 10 years; and

4. A registrant who committed a Class D crime requiring registration who has not been convicted of committing another crime against a person for a period of at least 5 years.

The bill also proposes that the Commissioner of Public Safety, in consultation with an advisory group that must include representatives of the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, the Maine Prosecutors Association, the Attorney General, the Department of Corrections and the Maine Civil Liberties Union, shall create a classification system based on risk to be applied to each person required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act of 1999 in order to identify sex offenders based on their risk of reoffending and the degree of likelihood that they pose a danger to the community. The level of risk must be listed on the website in the case of moderate-risk and high-risk offenders. Low-risk offenders will be removed from the website.