California Penal Code

§ 290.5

PEN § 290.5 Effective Aug 6, 2020Title 9 · Part 1 · Ch. 5.5

Statute text

(a)(1) A person who is required to register pursuant to Section 290 and who is a tier one or tier two offender may file a petition in the superior court in the county in which the person is registered for termination from the sex offender registry on or after their next birthday after July 1, 2021, following the expiration of the person’s mandated minimum registration period, or if the person is required to register pursuant to Section 290.008, the person may file the petition in juvenile court on or after their next birthday after July 1, 2021, following the expiration of the mandated minimum registration period. The petition shall contain proof of the person’s current registration as a sex offender.

(2)The petition shall be served on the registering law enforcement agency and the district attorney in the county where the petition is filed and on the law enforcement agency and the district attorney of the county of conviction of a registerable offense if different than the county where the petition is filed. The registering law enforcement agency shall report receipt of service of a filed petition to the Department of Justice in a manner prescribed by the department. The registering law enforcement agency and the law enforcement agency of the county of conviction of a registerable offense if different than the county where the petition is filed shall, within 60 days of receipt of the petition, report to the district attorney and the superior or juvenile court in which the petition is filed regarding whether the person has met the requirements for termination pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 290. If an offense which may require registration pursuant to Section 290.005 is identified by the registering law enforcement agency which has not previously been assessed by the Department of Justice, the registering law enforcement agency shall refer that conviction to the department for assessment and determination of whether the conviction changes the tier designation assigned by the department to the offender. If the newly discovered offense changes the tier designation for that person, the department shall change the tier designation pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 290 within three months of receipt of the request by the registering law enforcement agency and notify the registering law enforcement agency. If more time is required to obtain the documents needed to make the assessment, the department shall notify the registering law enforcement agency of the reason that an extension of time is necessary to complete the tier designation. The registering law enforcement agency shall report to the district attorney and the court that the department has requested an extension of time to determine the person’s tier designation based on the newly discovered offense, the reason for the request, and the estimated time needed to complete the tier designation. The district attorney in the county where the petition is filed may, within 60 days of receipt of the report from either the registering law enforcement agency, the law enforcement agency of the county of conviction of a registerable offense if different than the county where the petition is filed, or the district attorney of the county of conviction of a registerable offense, request a hearing on the petition if the petitioner has not fulfilled the requirement described in subdivision (e) of Section 290, or if community safety would be significantly enhanced by the person’s continued registration. If no hearing is requested, the petition for termination shall be granted if the court finds the required proof of current registration is presented in the petition, provided that the registering agency reported that the person met the requirement for termination pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 290, there are no pending charges against the person which could extend the time to complete the registration requirements of the tier or change the person’s tier status, and the person is not in custody or on parole, probation, or supervised release. The court may summarily deny a petition if the court determines the petitioner does not meet the statutory requirements for termination of sex offender registration or if the petitioner has not fulfilled the filing and service requirements of this section. In summarily denying a petition the court shall state the reason or reasons the petition is being denied.

(3)If the district attorney requests a hearing, the district attorney shall be entitled to present evidence regarding whether community safety would be significantly enhanced by requiring continued registration. In determining whether to order continued registration, the court shall consider: the nature and facts of the registerable offense; the age and number of victims; whether any victim was a stranger at the time of the offense (known to the offender for less than 24 hours); criminal and relevant noncriminal behavior before and after conviction for the registerable offense; the time period during which the person has not reoffended; successful completion, if any, of a Sex Offender Management Board-certified sex offender treatment program; and the person’s current risk of sexual or violent reoffense, including the person’s risk levels on SARATSO static, dynamic, and violence risk assessment instruments, if available. Any judicial determination made pursuant to this section may be heard and determined upon declarations, affidavits, police reports, or any other evidence submitted by the parties which is reliable, material, and relevant.

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Legislative history

Amended (as added by Stats. 2017, Ch. 541, Sec. 12) by Stats. 2020, Ch. 29, Sec. 11. (SB 118) Effective August 6, 2020. Section operative July 1, 2021, by its own provisions.