Laws and Registration Requirements of Connecticut Sex Offender

The State of Connecticut requires the sex offenders convicted within the state to register themselves in the Sex Offender Registry in accordance with Megan’s Law. Implementation of this step has been necessitated by the fact that sex offenders released from prison or correctional facilities often pose a high risk to the safety of the general public. There are 5,046 registered Connecticut Sex Offenders residing within the limits of the state boundary at present.

State statistics reveal that most of the sex offenders are habitual offenders and protecting the residents of Connecticut from such dangerous criminals remains the primary responsibility of the government. While the State of Connecticut respects the privacy law, the personal details of a Connecticut sex offender is a matter of public records and the state government together with the state police of Connecticut do not take any chances of jeopardizing the safety of the young children residing in the state.

Offenders Required to Register

A convicted Connecticut sex offender or any other offender arrested on charges of sex offenses and found innocent on account of a diseased mental state is required to register with the Commissioner of Public Safety for life. All sex offenders released or discharged from state imprisonment facilities after October 1988 and before October 1998 are liable to register themselves according to the laws of the state provided they take up residence within Connecticut after release. Such offenders are also required to become a registered sex offender within three days of returning to the state in the eventuality of leaving the state.

Persons found ‘not guilty’ due to mental conditions or due to the non violent nature of the sex offense must register themselves in the state registry for a period of ten years regardless of their resident status. People convicted of similar offenses elsewhere also form a part of the sex offender registry of Connecticut. Any instances of a felony committed with the sole intention of sexual abuse is also treated as sex offense making the offender liable to register himself according to the statutes of the state of  Connecticut. It is a good idea to check out the laws of the state by going through Volume 13, Title 54 and Chapter 969 of the Connecticut General Statutes which can be found under the Legislative section at www.CT.gov .

Information Included in the Sex Offender Registry:

The name of the offender along with the commonly used aliases including nicknames is recorded by the authorities. The address as well as the inmate number along with details of the conviction becomes a part of the public records. Date and place of occurrence as well as registration date are required to complete the record of a sex offender. The entire physical description of the sex offender including several identifiers comprising scar marks, tattoos and hair and eye color can help the public take adequate protection against a sex offender in Connecticut. Photograph as well as finger and palm prints needs to be submitted to the department as well. DNA samples are also included in the registry now.

Sex Offender Registry Access:

All residents of Connecticut can ask to inspect a copy of the sex offender registry for purposes of safety. The records are usually available at the local law enforcement agencies of the sex offender’s residential area. There is absolutely no confidentiality clause connected with viewing of the sex offender records.

The easiest way of finding out information on a sex offender residing in Connecticut is to access the Internet Resource (http://www.state.ct.us/dps) from the privacy of your own home. The resource is available 24 hours a day and can be accessed even on weekends. You can also mail the Department of  Public Safety for additional information at Sex Offender Registry, 111 Country Club Road, Middletown, CT 06457