ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
Purpose
Updates and makes other
modifications to sex offender registration and community notification statutes.
Background
The Community Notification Guidelines Committee was established by Laws 1995, Chapter 257, to adopt guidelines for local law enforcement agencies concerning community notification of the presence of sex offenders in local neighborhoods. Under these guidelines, convicted sex offenders who have been released from confinement are required to register with local law enforcement. Law enforcement then uses a risk assessment tool to determine the risk level of the sex offender. For Level Two or Level Three sex offenders, law enforcement notifies citizens living in the vicinity of the offender’s residence of the offender’s presence in the neighborhood. For Level One sex offenders, law enforcement maintains information on the offender and may provide the information to the people residing with the offender.
Currently, the community notification program does not apply to sex offenders adjudicated delinquent in juvenile court.
H.B. 2065 updates and clarifies sections of the sex offender registration and community notification statutes to conform to recent additions to the sex offense statutes. The bill further allows a court discretion subjecting juveniles to the registration requirements and shortens timelines for sex offenders to report a change of name or address to the county sheriff.
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state general fund associated with this bill.
Provisions
1. Requires a person to register as a sex offender with the sheriff of a county within 10 days of entering and remaining in the county if that person committed an offense prior to September 1, 1978 that has the same elements as an offense currently requiring registration.
2. Adds “luring a minor for sexual exploitation” as an offense requiring registration with a county sheriff.
3. Allows the court to terminate the duty of a person to register as a sex offender if the person was under 18 years of age at the time of the offense and has successfully completed probation.
4. Decreases, from 10 days after change of address to 72 hours after moving from the address, the timeline within which registered sex offenders must inform the sheriff of a new address.
5. Decreases, from 10 days to 72 hours, the timeline within which registered sex offenders must inform the sheriff of a name change.
6. Requires registered sex offenders changing names or addresses to inform the sheriff in person, in addition to writing, of the new name or address. If the person receives mail at a post office box the person is required to notify the sheriff of the location and number of the post office box.
7. Authorizes the court to order that a juvenile sex offender be subject to community notification.
8. Makes technical and conforming changes.
9. Provides for a general effective date.
Amendments
Adopted by the Judiciary Committee
Makes technical changes.
House Action Senate
Action
3rd Read 3/7/01 57-0-3-0
Prepared by Senate Staff
March 20, 2001