Bill to accelerate sex offender registry notifications clears Riverside assembly
A Riverside County lawmaker’s bill to require prisons, county jails, mental institutions and other facilities to hasten alerts to the California Department of Justice regarding the release of registered sex offenders was unanimously approved today by the Assembly.
Assemblywoman Sabrina Cervantes, D-Corona, authored AB 1994 as a public safety measure that she says would close a loophole in existing law.
The bill, which is now bound for the Senate, specifically addresses time criteria established in 1998 under Penal Code section 290.
Under the legislation, any time a sex registrant is released from a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation facility, local jail, mental health ward or similar location, the authorities supervising the release would be required to notify the state Department of Justice within 15 business days. DOJ operatives could then alert law enforcement agencies in whose jurisdiction the individual will be residing.
According to AB 1994, state entities now have 90 days to notify the DOJ about a registrant’s release. However, Cervantes emphasized that jails are not required to make any type of notification.
“It is unacceptable that neither law enforcement nor the public are notified when registered sex offenders are released into our communities,” Cervantes said. “This bill will provide law enforcement with more tools to track registered sex offenders and help keep our streets and neighborhoods safe.”
According to the lawmaker, the issue has become more important due to the increasing number of registered sex offenders who are being placed in county lockups rather than prison as a result of AB 109, the Public Safety Realignment Act of 2011.
Under Penal Code section 290, convicted sex offenders who are registered in the Megan’s Law database are required to keep a current address on file with law enforcement and notify authorities within five days whenever they relocate, in or out of the state. They’re also generally prohibited from loitering where children gather and working in jobs in which they have routine contact with minors.
Download the KESQ & CBS Local 2 app on iTunes or Google Play for up-to-the-minute breaking news alerts & more
More: I-Team and Stands for You investigations
Find us on Facebook: KESQ News Channel 3 & CBS Local 2
Follow us on Twitter for breaking news updates: @KESQ & @Local2
We’re on Instagram! @KESQ_News_Channel_3 & @CBSLocal2
Noticias en español: Telemundo 15
