SPONSOR: Roberts (77)
This bill specifies that the registration period for offenders on the various tiers of the sexual offender registry will be reduced if the offender maintains a clean record for a number of years, varying by tier, prior to filing a petition for removal under Section 589.401, RSMo. The bill also specifies that any person currently required to register for offenses with the same or similar elements as certain specified offenses will be exempt from registering.
Currently, a person required to register on the sexual offender registry because of an offense that was adjudicated in another jurisdiction is required to file his or her petition for removal according to the laws of the other jurisdiction, and then the judgment would be registered in this state if the petition for removal was granted. As specified in this bill, the person would file a petition for removal in the division of the circuit court in the county or city not within a county in which the person resides and registers.
The bill removes language requiring an offender to successfully complete any required periods of supervised release, probation, or parole without revocation since the date the offender was required to register before a court can enter an order for the petitioner's name from the registry. It also removes language requiring an appropriate sex offender treatment program to be approved by a court of competent jurisdiction or the Department of Corrections.
Currently, if a petition is denied due to an adjudication in violation of particular provisions in statute, the petitioner shall not file a new petition until 15 years have passed from the date of the adjudication resulting in the denial of relief if the petitioner is classified as a Tier I offender. This legislation reduces the time period to 10 years.
Statutes affected: