June 18, 2004 |
2004-R-0482 | |
OFFENSES AGAINST CHILDREN: CONNECTICUT'S SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY LAW | ||
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By: Susan Price, Associate Attorney | ||
You asked (1) what crimes involving child victims are covered by Connecticut’s sex offender registration law and (2) if there are penalties for failing to disclose information about known sex offenders.
With minor exceptions, Connecticut requires a ten-year registration period for offenders convicted, or acquitted because of insanity, of the following crimes against minors:
1. contact with the intimate parts of someone under age 16;
2. sexual intercourse with (a) someone age 13 to 15, (b) someone under age 18 if the actor is the person's guardian, or (c) a school student if the offender works at the school;
3. incest;
4. promoting prostitution with someone under age 18;
5. employing or promoting a minor in an obscene performance;
6. importing or possessing child pornography;
7. first- or second-degree kidnapping, first- or second-degree unlawful restraint, or public indecency when the court finds that the victim is under age 18; and
8. enticing a minor over the Internet.
Lifetime registration is required if the offender is convicted of a second offense, a sexually violent offense, or has sexual intercourse with a child under age 13 when he is at least two years older than the victim (CGS § 54-251, as amended by PA 04-139).
No law requires anyone to disclose information about known sex offenders. But by law, 38 named professional and paid child care providers working in licensed facilities are required to report suspected child abuse, including sexual abuse, to the Department of Children and Families (CGS § 17a-101a). And realtors must inform potential buyers of the existence of the registry (CGS § 20-327b(d)). People can view the registry, which includes offenders’ photographs, dates of birth, sex offenses committed, identifying marks, and addresses at state and local police stations. The registry is also posted on the Department of Public Safety’s website, where it can be searched by name, town, or zipcode.
Probation, parole, and other law enforcement officers can disclose information if they deem this necessary to protect public safety. The extent of such disclosures is determined on a case-by-case basis.
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