“CA SEX OFFENDER MANAGEMENT BOARD RELEASES NEW STATISTICS, DISCUSSES TIERED REGISTRY BILL for sex offenders
“Jennifer Luna jennifer.luna@seguingazette.com
Friday, October 21, 2016 12:00 am
The California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) released new statistics regarding registrants during its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on October 20. In addition, the board discussed a tiered registry bill expected to be introduced in the state legislature in early 2017.
The total number of registrants is 104,369 according to CASOMB. Of that total, there are 16,294 in violation (about 16 percent) of registration laws. The total number of registrants who register as transients is 6,444 and of that total there are 1,575 (about 24 percent) in violation of registration laws. The total number of registrants on parole who are required to wear GPS units is 5,769 and of that total there are 5,505 registrants in counseling.
CASOMB stated it will sponsor a tiered registry bill in 2017 and the language of that bill is “set in stone”, according to Chairman Nancy O’Malley (also the District Attorney of Alameda County). The bill, if passed, would create three tiers that will allow some, but not all, registrants to terminate their registration requirements in either 10 or 20 years depending upon several factors.
The tiered registry bill would also provide for the “automatic” termination of registration requirements for registrants convicted before 1987 provided that they have not been convicted of a subsequent sex offense. CASOMB estimates that this provision would apply to about 10,500 registrants.
Individuals convicted in 1987 or later may or may not be eligible for termination of their registration requirements. For those determined eligible, they will be required to submit a “petition for removal” to the state court in the county in which they reside.
The first step in the legislative process leading to a tiered registry is an informational hearing expected to be held in December 2016. During that hearing, a video produced by CASOMB will be shown to state legislators.
Despite discussion of a tiered registry bill during the meeting, CASOMB refused to provide copies of that bill to the public.