15:542

Title 15. Criminal Procedure

Chapter 3-B. Registration of Sex Offenders, Sexually Violent Predators, and Child Predators

15:542 Registration of sex offenders and child predators

A. The following persons shall be required to register and provide notification as a sex offender or child predator in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter:

(1) Any adult residing in this state who has pled guilty to, has been convicted of, or where adjudication has been deferred or withheld for the perpetration or attempted perpetration of, or any conspiracy to commit either of the following:

(a) A sex offense as defined in R.S. 15:541, with the exception of those convicted of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile as provided in Subsection F of this Section.

(b) A criminal offense against a victim who is a minor as defined in R.S. 15:541.

(2) Any juvenile who has pled guilty or has been convicted of a sex offense or second degree kidnapping as provided for in Children’s Code Article 305 or 857, with the exception of simple or third degree rape but including any conviction for an offense under the laws of another state, or military, territorial, foreign, tribal, or federal law which is equivalent to the offenses listed herein for which a juvenile would have to register.

(3) Any juvenile, who has attained the age of fourteen years at the time of commission of the offense, who has been adjudicated delinquent based upon the perpetration, attempted perpetration, or conspiracy to commit any of the following offenses:

(a) Aggravated or first degree rape (R.S. 14:42), which shall include those that have been adjudicated delinquent based upon the perpetration, attempted perpetration, or conspiracy to commit aggravated oral sexual battery (formerly R.S. 14:43.4, Repealed by Acts 2001, No. 301, § 2) occurring prior to August 15, 2001.

(b) Forcible or second degree rape (R.S. 14:42.1).

(d) Aggravated kidnapping of a child who has not attained the age of thirteen years (R.S. 14:44).

(e) Second degree kidnapping of a child who has not attained the age of thirteen years (R.S. 14:44.1).

(f) Aggravated crime against nature as defined by R.S. 14:89.1(A)(2) involving circumstances defined by R.S. 15:541 as an “aggravated offense”.

(g) Aggravated crime against nature (R.S. 14:89.1(A)(1)).

(h) An offense under the laws of another state, or military, territorial, foreign, tribal, or federal law which is equivalent to the offenses listed in Subparagraphs (a) through (g) of this Paragraph.

B. (1) The persons listed in Subsection A of this Section shall register in person with the sheriff of the parish of the person’s residence, or residences, if there is more than one, and with the chief of police if the address of any of the person’s residences is located in an incorporated area which has a police department. If the offender resides in a municipality with a population in excess of three hundred thousand persons, he shall register in person with the police department of his municipality of residence.

(2) The offender shall also register in person with the sheriff of the parish or parishes where the offender is an employee and with the sheriff of the parish or parishes where the offender attends school. If the offender is employed or attends school in a municipality with a population in excess of three hundred thousand persons, then he shall register only, pursuant to this Paragraph, with the police department of the municipality where he is employed or attends school. The offender shall also register in the parish of conviction for the initial registration only. No registration in the parish of conviction is necessary if the offender is incarcerated at the time of conviction or immediately taken into custody by law enforcement after the conviction.

(3) If the sex offender is a student at an institution of postsecondary education in this state, the sex offender shall also register with the campus law enforcement agency of the institution at least one business day prior to the beginning of the school term or semester.

C. (1) The offender shall register and provide all of the following information to the appropriate law enforcement agencies listed in Subsection B of this Section in accordance with the time periods provided for in this Subsection:

(a) Name and any aliases used by the offender.

(b) Physical address or addresses of residence.

(c) Name and physical address of place of employment. If the offender does not have a fixed place of employment, the offender shall provide information with as much specificity as possible regarding the places where he works, including but not limited to travel routes used by the offender.

(d) Name and physical address of the school in which he is a student.

(e) Two forms of proof of residence for each residential address provided, including but not limited to a driver’s license, bill for utility service, and bill for telephone service. If those forms of proof of residence are not available, the offender may provide an affidavit of an adult resident living at the same address. The affidavit shall certify that the affiant understands his obligation to provide written notice pursuant to R.S. 15:542.1.4 to the appropriate law enforcement agency with whom the offender last registered when the offender no longer resides at the residence provided in the affidavit.

(f) The crime for which he was convicted and the date and place of such conviction, and if known by the offender, the court in which the conviction was obtained, the docket number of the case, the specific statute under which he was convicted, and the sentence imposed.

(g) A current photograph.

(h) Fingerprints, palm prints, and a DNA sample.

(i) Telephone numbers, including fixed location phone and mobile phone numbers assigned to the offender or associated with any residence address of the offender.

(j) A description of every motorized vehicle registered to or operated by the offender, including license plate number and vehicle identification number, and a copy of the offender’s driver’s license and identification card. This information shall be provided prior to the offender’s operation of the vehicle.

(k) Social security number and date of birth.

(l) A description of the physical characteristics of the offender, including but not limited to sex, race, hair color, eye color, height, age, weight, scars, tattoos, or other identifying marks on the body of the offender.

(m) Every e-mail address, online screen name, or other online identifiers used by the offender to communicate on the internet. If the offender uses a static internet protocol address, that address shall also be provided to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Required notice must be given before any online identifier or static internet protocol address is used to communicate on the internet. For purposes of this Subparagraph, “static internet protocol address” is a numerical label assigned to a computer by an internet service provider to be the computer’s permanent address on the internet.

(n)(i) Temporary lodging information regarding any place where the offender plans to stay for seven or more days. This information shall be provided at least three days prior to the date of departure unless an emergency situation has prevented the timely disclosure of the information.

(ii) Temporary lodging information regarding international travel shall be provided regardless of the number of days or nights the offender plans to stay. This information shall be provided at least twenty-one days prior to the date of departure unless an emergency situation has prevented the timely disclosure of the information. Upon receipt of this information by the bureau from the law enforcement agency pursuant to Subsection E of this Section, this information shall then be sent by the bureau to the United States Marshals Service’s National Sex Offender Targeting Center for transmission to the proper authorities.

(o) Travel and immigration documents, including but not limited to passports and documents establishing immigration status.

(2) Unless an earlier time period is specified in the provisions of Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, every offender required to register in accordance with this Section shall appear in person and provide the information required by Paragraph (1) of this Subsection to the appropriate law enforcement agencies within three business days of establishing residence in Louisiana. If the offender is a current resident of Louisiana and is not immediately taken into custody or incarcerated after conviction or adjudication, he shall provide the information on the date of conviction to the sheriffs of the parish where the offender was convicted or adjudicated and shall, within three business days after conviction or adjudication, provide the information to the sheriff of the parishes of the offender’s residence, employment, and school. If incarcerated immediately after conviction or placed in a secure facility immediately after adjudication, the information required by Paragraph (1) of this Subsection shall be provided to the secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, or his designee, or the deputy secretary for youth services, or his designee, whichever has custody of the offender, within ten days prior to release from confinement. Once released from confinement, every offender shall appear in person within three business days to register with the appropriate law enforcement agencies pursuant to the provision of this Section. The offender shall register with the sheriff of the parish in which the residence address he initially supplied to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections is located, unless his residence address has changed and he has registered with the sheriff of the parish in which his new residence address is located.

(3) Knowingly providing false information to any law enforcement officer, office, or agency required to receive registration information pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter shall constitute a failure to register pursuant to R.S. 15:542.1.4(A)(1).

D. The offender shall pay to the appropriate law enforcement agencies with whom he is required to register, except for the campus law enforcement agency of an institution of postsecondary education, an annual registration fee of sixty dollars to defray the costs of maintaining the record of the offender. The payment of such a fee shall be made in accordance with any rule regarding indigency adopted by the judges of the judicial district court in the jurisdiction or as determined by criteria established by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections. The offender shall pay such fee upon the initial registration and on the anniversary thereof. Failure by the offender to pay the fee within thirty days of initial registration shall constitute a failure to register and shall subject the offender to prosecution under the provisions of R.S. 15:542.1.4(A)(3). The offender shall not be prevented from registering in accordance with this Section for failure to pay the annual registration fee.

E. Upon receipt of the registration information as required by the provisions of this Section, the law enforcement agency shall immediately forward such information to the bureau electronically.

F. (1) Except as provided in Paragraphs (2) and (3) of this Subsection, the sex offender registration and notification requirements required by this Chapter are mandatory and shall not be waived or suspended by any court. Any order waiving or suspending sex offender registration and notification requirements shall be null, void, and of no effect. Any order waiving or suspending registration and notification requirements shall not be construed to invalidate an otherwise valid conviction.

(2) Upon joint written motion by the district attorney and the petitioner, the court of conviction may waive sex offender registration and notification requirements imposed by the provisions of this Chapter for a person convicted of felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile (R.S. 14:80) on, before, or after January 1, 2008, when the victim is at least thirteen years of age and the offender was not more than four years older than the victim at the time of the commission of the offense. Relief shall not be granted unless the motion is accompanied by supporting documentary proof of the age of the victim and the age of the perpetrator at the time of commission of the offense. If the court of conviction was not a Louisiana district court, this joint motion may be brought in the district court of the parish of the offender’s residence after the bureau has made the determination, pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 15:542.1.3, on the grounds that the elements of the offense of conviction are equivalent to the elements of R.S. 14:80. The court may grant the motion upon clear and convincing evidence that the ages of the victim and offender at the time of commission of the offense were within the limitations provided in this Section.

(3)(a) Any person who was convicted of carnal knowledge of a juvenile (R.S. 14:80) prior to August 15, 2001, may petition the court of conviction to be relieved of the sex offender registration and notification requirements of this Chapter if the offense for which the offender was convicted would be defined as misdemeanor carnal knowledge of a juvenile (R.S. 14:80.1) had the offender been convicted on or after August 15, 2001. Offenders convicted of an offense under the laws of another state, or military, territorial, foreign, tribal, or federal law may petition the district court of his parish of residence once the administrative procedures of R.S. 15:542.1.3 have been exhausted, and the elements of the offense of conviction have been found to be equivalent to the current definition of misdemeanor carnal knowledge of a juvenile (R.S. 14:80.1).

(b) The following procedures shall apply to the provisions of this Paragraph:

(i) The petition shall be accompanied with supporting documentation to establish that the age of the perpetrator and the victim at the time the offense was committed are within the parameters set forth in R.S. 14:80.1.

(ii) The district attorney shall be served with a copy of the petition.

(iii) The court shall order a contradictory hearing to determine whether the offender is entitled to be relieved of the registration and notification requirements pursuant to the provisions of this Paragraph.

(c) The provisions of this Paragraph shall not apply to any person who was convicted of more than one offense which requires registration pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter.

(4)(a) Any person who was convicted of crime against nature (R.S. 14:89) prior to August 15, 2010, or the district attorney in the parish where the offender was convicted, may file a motion in the court of conviction to relieve the offender of the sex offender registration and notification requirements of this Chapter if the offense for which the offender was convicted would be defined as crime against nature by solicitation (R.S. 14:89.2) had the offender been convicted on or after August 15, 2010. Offenders convicted of an offense under the laws of another state, or military, territorial, foreign, tribal, or federal law may file a motion in the district court of his parish of residence once the administrative procedures of R.S. 15:542.1.3 have been exhausted, and the elements of the offense of conviction have been found to be equivalent to the current definition of crime against nature by solicitation (R.S. 14:89.2). The provisions of this Subparagraph shall not apply to persons whose conviction for crime against nature pursuant to R.S. 14:89 involved the solicitation of a person under the age of seventeen and would authorize sentencing of the offender pursuant to R.S. 14:89.2(B)(3), had the offender been convicted on or after August 15, 2010.

(b) The motion shall be accompanied by supporting documentation to establish that the person was convicted of crime against nature prior to August 15, 2010, and that the offense for which the offender was convicted would be defined as crime against nature by solicitation (R.S. 14:89.2) had the offender been convicted on or after August 15, 2010. If the motion is filed by the offender and the district attorney objects, the district attorney shall have the burden of proof by use of an affidavit that the person being solicited was under the age of seventeen. If the motion is filed by the district attorney, an affidavit establishing that the facts of the case and the underlying conviction meet these requirements shall be deemed sufficient for the granting of relief.

(c) If the offender files a motion pursuant to the provisions of this Paragraph, the district attorney, office of state police, and the Department of Justice, shall be served with a copy of the motion and any order granting relief. If the district attorney files a motion pursuant to the provisions of this Paragraph, the office of state police and the Department of Justice shall be served with a copy of the motion and any order granting relief.

(d) If the supporting documentation described in Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph is provided and meets the requirements of Subparagraph (4)(b), relief shall be granted unless the district attorney objects and provides supporting documentation proving that the offense for which the person was convicted, and which requires registration and notification pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter, involved the solicitation of a person under the age of seventeen.

(e) If the district attorney proves by clear and convincing evidence that the conviction for crime against nature pursuant to R.S. 14:89 involved the solicitation of a person under the age of seventeen, the court shall deny the motion to be relieved of the sex offender registration and notification requirements as provided by the provisions of this Paragraph.

(f) The provisions of this Paragraph shall not apply to any person who was convicted of one or more offenses which otherwise require registration pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter.

Added by Acts 1992, No. 388, § 1, eff. June 18, 1992. Amended by Acts 1995, No. 928, § 1; Acts 1995, No. 1290, § 2; Acts 1997, No. 134, § 2; Acts 1997, No. 137, § 2; Acts 1997, No. 928, § 1, eff. July 10, 1997; Acts 1997, No. 1135, § 1, eff. July 14, 1997; Acts 1997, No. 1148, § 2, eff. July 14, 1997; Acts 1999, No. 930, § 1; Acts 1999, No. 1150, § 1; Acts 2001, No. 78, § 1; Acts 2001, No. 1206, § 1; Acts 2002, 1st Ex.Sess., No. 83, § 1; Acts 2003, No. 215, § 1; Acts 2003, No. 574, § 1; Acts 2004, No. 338, § 1; Acts 2005, 1st Ex.Sess., No. 11, § 1; Acts 2006, No. 204, § 1; Acts 2006, No. 284, § 1; Acts 2006, No. 663, § 1; Acts 2006, No. 683, § 1; Acts 2006, No. 791, § 1; Acts 2007, No. 460, § 2, eff. Jan. 1, 2008; Acts 2008, No. 147, § 1; Acts 2008, No. 273, § 1; Acts 2008, No. 814, § 1; Acts 2008, No. 816, § 1; Acts 2010, No. 400, § 1; Acts 2011, 1st Ex.Sess., No. 18, § 1; Acts 2011, No. 216, § 1; Acts 2012, No. 402, § 1; Acts 2013, No. 408, § 1; Acts 2014, No. 602, § 5, eff. June 12, 2014; Acts 2015, No. 184, § 2; Acts 2015, No. 256, § 2; Acts 2016, No. 375, § 1.