Senate Adopts Amendment to Reform Sex Offender Registry Laws

[Editor's note: The following is a blog post from Sen. Katherine Clark's office.]

Senator Katherine Clark (D-Melrose), Chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, today announced that the Massachusetts Senate has unanimously adopted her amendment to the Fiscal Year 2014 budget that provides parents with important tools for protecting children from sex offenders.

Clark, who sponsored the amendment, said “I am proud that the State Senate acted on this matter today. We know that no law can absolutely protect our families and our communities from crime, but when changes are clearly needed to improve public safety, we must act without delay. This amendment strengthens our laws and most importantly provides more information to parents, caregivers and the agencies we depend on to keep our children and communities safe.”

This amendment establishes better communication with law enforcement and the Sex Offender Registry Board (SORB) so that new information on a sex offender is accessible and necessary adjustments on an offender’s level of dangerousness can be made.

The most dangerous sex offenders will be required to register within two days of being released from custody. The law currently requires Level 2 and Level 3 sex offenders to annually register in person, but does not specify when they must first appear after being released from custody.  

The amendment also establishes information sharing procedures for the determination or reevaluation of a sex offender’s designation within the Sex Offender Registry Board and other state agencies and establishes a commission to develop risk assessment protocols for sexual offenders.

“I promised at the start of this session that the Senate would reexamine the criteria for sex offender registration after we learned of the charges brought against a Level 1 sex offender for molesting more than a dozen children,” Senate President Therese Murray (D-Plymouth) said. “We have a responsibility to protect the children and the families of the Commonwealth and I am proud that the Senate took action today to prevent a similar crime from happening in the future.”

After receiving approval from the Senate, the budget will move to a conference committee with the House of Representatives. The final budget will go to Governor Deval Patrick for his consideration. The new fiscal year begins July 1.