CHAPTER 969
REGISTRATION OF SEXUAL OFFENDERS
Table of Contents
Sec. 54-251. Registration of person who has committed a criminal offense against a victim who is a minor or a nonviolent sexual offense.
Sec. 54-255. Restriction on dissemination of registration information for certain offenders.
Sec. 54-251. Registration of person who has committed a criminal offense
against a victim who is a minor or a nonviolent sexual offense. (a) Any person who
has been convicted or found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect of a criminal
offense against a victim who is a minor or a nonviolent sexual offense, and is released
into the community on or after October 1, 1998, shall, within three days following such
release, and whether or not such person's place of residence is in this state, register such
person's name, identifying factors, criminal history record and residence address with
the Commissioner of Public Safety, on such forms and in such locations as the commissioner shall direct, and shall maintain such registration for ten years except that any
person who has one or more prior convictions of any such offense or who is convicted
of a violation of subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 53a-70 shall maintain such
registration for life. Prior to accepting a plea of guilty or nolo contendere from a person
with respect to a criminal offense against a victim who is a minor or a nonviolent sexual
offense, the court shall (1) inform the person that the entry of a finding of guilty after
acceptance of the plea will subject the person to the registration requirements of this
section, and (2) determine that the person fully understands the consequences of the
plea. If such person changes such person's address such person shall, within five days,
register the new address in writing with the Commissioner of Public Safety, and, if the
new address is in another state, such person shall also register with an appropriate agency
in that state, provided that state has a registration requirement for such offenders. If any
person who is subject to registration under this section is employed in another state,
carries on a vocation in another state or is a student in another state, such person shall
notify the Commissioner of Public Safety and shall also register with an appropriate
agency in that state provided that state has a registration requirement for such offenders.
During such period of registration, each registrant shall complete and return forms
mailed to such registrant to verify such registrant's residence address and shall submit
to the retaking of a photographic image upon request of the Commissioner of Public
Safety. If any person who is subject to registration under this section is employed at,
carries on a vocation at or is a student at a trade or professional institution or institution
of higher learning in this state, such person shall notify the Commissioner of Public
Safety of such status and of any change in such status.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the court may
exempt any person who has been convicted or found not guilty by reason of mental
disease or defect of a violation of subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 53a-71
from the registration requirements of this section if the court finds that such person was
under nineteen years of age at the time of the offense and that registration is not required
for public safety.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the court may
exempt any person who has been convicted or found not guilty by reason of mental
disease or defect of a violation of subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 53a-73a
from the registration requirements of this section if the court finds that registration is
not required for public safety.
(d) Any person who files an application with the court to be exempted from the
registration requirements of this section pursuant to subsection (b) or (c) of this section
shall, pursuant to subsection (b) of section 54-227, notify the Office of Victim Services
and the Victim Services Unit within the Department of Correction of the filing of such
application. The Office of Victim Services or the Victim Services Unit within the Department of Correction, or both, shall, pursuant to section 54-230 or 54-230a, notify any
victim who has requested notification of the filing of such application. Prior to granting
or denying such application, the court shall consider any information or statement provided by the victim.
(e) Any person who violates the provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall
be guilty of a class D felony.
(P.A. 98-111, S. 2; P.A. 99-183, S. 2, 13; P.A. 01-211, S. 1; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7, S. 79; P.A. 05-146, S. 5.)
History: P.A. 99-183 amended Subsec. (a) to make provisions applicable to any person convicted or found not guilty
by reason of mental disease or defect of "a nonviolent sexual offense", require a person to register "whether or not such
person's place of residence is in this state", add exception requiring any person who has one or more prior convictions of
any such offense or who is convicted of a violation of Sec. 53a-70(a)(2) to maintain registration for life, revise provision
re changing address to and registering in another state, add provision requiring a person who regularly travels into or within
another state or temporarily resides in another state to notify the Commissioner of Public Safety and register with an
appropriate agency in that state if that state has a registration requirement, add provision requiring registrants to submit
to the retaking of a photographic image upon request and make technical changes for purposes of gender neutrality, added
new Subsec. (b) to authorize the court to exempt any person convicted or found not guilty by reason of mental disease or
defect of violation of Sec. 53a-71(a)(1) from the registration requirement under certain circumstances, added new Subsec.
(c) to authorize the court to exempt any person convicted or found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect of
violation of Sec. 53a-73(a)(2) from the registration requirement under certain circumstances, and redesignated former
Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (d), effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 01-211 added new Subsec. (d) requiring any person who files an
application to be exempted to notify the Office of Victim Services and the Department of Correction of the filing of such
application, requiring said office or department, or both, to notify any victim who has requested notification of the filing
of such application and requiring the court to consider any information or statement provided by the victim prior to granting
or denying such application and redesignated existing Subsec. (d) as Subsec. (e) and amended same to specify that penalty
is for a violation of "subsection (a)" of this section; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7 amended Subsec. (a) to make requirement
that a person subject to registration under this section notify the commissioner and register with an appropriate agency in
another state applicable if such person "is employed in another state, carries on a vocation in another state or is a student
in another state" rather than if such person "regularly travels into or within another state or temporarily resides in another
state for purposes including, but not limited to employment or schooling" and to add provision requiring any person subject
to registration under this section who is employed at, carries on a vocation at or is a student at a trade or professional
institution or institution of higher learning in this state to notify the commissioner of such status and any change in such
status, effective August 15, 2002; P.A. 05-146 amended Subsec. (d) to specify that it is the "Victim Services Unit" within
the Department of Correction to which a person gives notice of the filing of an application and which notifies any victim
who requested notification of the filing of the application.
Subsec. (b):
Trial court's determination of whether to exempt individual from registration requirements under subsec. is properly
reviewed under an abuse of discretion standard. 86 CA 186.
Sec. 54-255. Restriction on dissemination of registration information for certain offenders. (a) Upon the conviction or finding of not guilty by reason of mental
disease or defect of any person for a violation of section 53a-70b, the court may order
the Department of Public Safety to restrict the dissemination of the registration information to law enforcement purposes only and to not make such information available for
public access, provided the court finds that dissemination of the registration information
is not required for public safety and that publication of the registration information
would be likely to reveal the identity of the victim within the community where the victim
resides. The court shall remove the restriction on the dissemination of such registration
information if, at any time, the court finds that public safety requires that such person's
registration information be made available to the public or that a change of circumstances
makes publication of such registration information no longer likely to reveal the identity
of the victim within the community where the victim resides. Prior to ordering or removing the restriction on the dissemination of such person's registration information, the
court shall consider any information or statements provided by the victim.
(b) Upon the conviction or finding of not guilty by reason of mental disease or
defect of any person of a criminal offense against a victim who is a minor, a nonviolent
sexual offense or a sexually violent offense, where the victim of such offense was, at
the time of the offense, under eighteen years of age and related to such person within
any of the degrees of kindred specified in section 46b-21, the court may order the Department of Public Safety to restrict the dissemination of the registration information to law
enforcement purposes only and to not make such information available for public access,
provided the court finds that dissemination of the registration information is not required
for public safety and that publication of the registration information would be likely to
reveal the identity of the victim within the community where the victim resides. The
court shall remove the restriction on the dissemination of such registration information
if, at any time, it finds that public safety requires that such person's registration information be made available to the public or that a change in circumstances makes publication
of the registration information no longer likely to reveal the identity of the victim within
the community where the victim resides.
(c) Any person who: (1) Has been convicted or found not guilty by reason of mental
disease or defect of a violation of subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 53a-71
between October 1, 1988, and June 30, 1999, and was under nineteen years of age at
the time of the offense; (2) has been convicted or found not guilty by reason of mental
disease or defect of a violation of subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 53a-73a
between October 1, 1988, and June 30, 1999; (3) has been convicted or found not guilty
by reason of mental disease or defect of a criminal offense against a victim who is a
minor, a nonviolent sexual offense or a sexually violent offense, between October 1,
1988, and June 30, 1999, where the victim of such offense was, at the time of the offense,
under eighteen years of age and related to such person within any of the degrees of
kindred specified in section 46b-21; (4) has been convicted or found not guilty by reason
of mental disease or defect of a violation of section 53a-70b between October 1, 1988,
and June 30, 1999; or (5) has been convicted or found not guilty by reason of mental
disease or defect of any crime between October 1, 1988, and September 30, 1998, which
requires registration under sections 54-250 to 54-258a, inclusive, and (A) served no jail
or prison time as a result of such conviction or finding of not guilty by reason of mental
disease or defect, (B) has not been subsequently convicted or found not guilty by reason
of mental disease or defect of any crime which would require registration under sections
54-250 to 54-258a, inclusive, and (C) has registered with the Department of Public
Safety in accordance with sections 54-250 to 54-258a, inclusive; may petition the court
to order the Department of Public Safety to restrict the dissemination of the registration
information to law enforcement purposes only and to not make such information available for public access. Any person who files such a petition shall, pursuant to subsection
(b) of section 54-227, notify the Office of Victim Services and the Victim Services Unit
within the Department of Correction of the filing of such petition. The Office of Victim
Services or the Victim Services Unit within the Department of Correction, or both, shall,
pursuant to section 54-230 or 54-230a, notify any victim who has requested notification
pursuant to subsection (b) of section 54-228 of the filing of such petition. Prior to granting
or denying such petition, the court shall consider any information or statements provided
by the victim. The court may order the Department of Public Safety to restrict the dissemination of the registration information to law enforcement purposes only and to not make
such information available for public access, provided the court finds that dissemination
of the registration information is not required for public safety.
(P.A. 98-111, S. 6; P.A. 99-183, S. 6, 13; P.A. 01-211, S. 2; P.A. 02-89, S. 87; P.A. 05-146, S. 6.)
History: P.A. 99-183 entirely replaced existing provisions that had authorized a person registered under Sec. 54-252
to apply to the court after ten years for release from the obligation to register, that had required the court to grant such
application if the person proved by clear and convincing evidence that he does not suffer from a mental abnormality or
personality disorder that makes him likely to engage in sexually violent offenses and that had specified the procedure for
the court to follow in acting on such application with new provisions authorizing the court under certain circumstances to
order the Department of Public Safety to restrict the dissemination of registration information with respect to certain
offenders to law enforcement purposes only and not make such information available for public access, effective July 1,
1999; P.A. 01-211 amended Subsec. (c) to add provisions requiring any person who files a petition to notify the Office of
Victim Services and the Department of Correction of the filing of such petition, requiring said office or department, or
both, to notify any victim who has requested notification of the filing of such petition and requiring the court to consider
any information or statements provided by the victim prior to granting or denying such petition; P.A. 02-89 amended
Subsec. (c) to replace references to Sec. 54-259 with Sec. 54-258a, reflecting repeal of Sec. 54-259 by the same public
act; P.A. 05-146 amended Subsec. (c) to specify that it is the "Victim Services Unit" within the Department of Correction
to which a person gives notice of the filing of a petition and which notifies any victim who requested notification of the
filing of the petition.