LOUISIANA SEX OFFENDERS                    

COST OF REPORT:  $9.95   [ORDER ONLINE]                              
                 
Offenders Required to Register:  Anyone convicted of a sex offense after July 1, 1997, the statute's effective date, must register. Anyone who committed a sex offense on or after June 18, 1992, must also register as well as anyone who committed a sex offense prior to June 18, 1992 or if in custody of Department of Public Safety and Corrections on or after June 18, 1992.  Additional notification required for offenders with victims under the age of 18.

Information Collected:  Fingerprints, photo, place of employment, residential address, crime convicted of, place and date of conviction, other identifying info.

Timeframe for registration:  Within 21 days of release; 10 days of entering state; 10 days of changing address.

Duration of requirement:  10 years, lifetime for violent predators.

Address Verification:  Yes

PURPOSE

Louisiana Revised Statutes (R.S.) 15:540, et. seq. states:

The legislature finds that sex offenders, sexually violent predators, and child predators often pose a high risk of engaging in sex offenses and crimes against victims who are minors even after being released from incarceration or commitment and that protection of the public from sex offenders, sexually violent predators, and child predators is of paramount governmental interest.  Persons found to have committed a sex offense or a crime against a victim who is a minor have a reduced expectation of privacy because of the public's interest in public safety and in the effective operation of government. Release of information about sex offenders, sexually violent predators, and child predators to public agencies, and under limited circumstances to the general public, will further the governmental interests of public safety and public scrutiny of the criminal and mental health systems so long as the information released is rationally related to the furtherance of those goals.

Therefore, this state's policy is to require sex offenders, sexually violent predators, and child predators to register with the state and to require the exchange of relevant information about sex offenders, sexually violent predators, and child predators and to authorize the release of necessary and relevant information about sex offenders, sexually violent predators, and child predators to members of the general public as provided in this Chapter.

The following information is intended to be an overview of Louisiana's sex offender and child predator registration laws to assist individuals in understanding the State Sex Offender and Child Predator Registry. This is not intended to be legal advice or guidance.

HISTORY

In 1992, the Louisiana legislature enacted this state's first law mandating the registration of persons convicted of sex offenses and offenses against victims who are minors. The registry was initially established as a manual reporting and retrieval system.

In October of 1994, Congress enacted the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act (the Wetterling Act). In broad terms, the Wetterling Act set guidelines for the state sex offender registration programs. States had three years from the enactment of the law to bring their registration programs into compliance with these federal standards. The Wetterling Act originally restricted release and dissemination of registration information. In 1996, Congress passed "Megan's Law" which amended the Wetterling Act to provide for release of registration information in accordance with state laws.

During the 1997 Regular Legislative Session, Act 1147 was passed by the Louisiana Legislature amending this state's existing sex offender registration laws to bring them into conformity with the provisions of the Jacob Wetterling Act, Megan's Law, and the Pam Lyncher Act. The new registration requirements apply to those persons convicted of a sex offense or a criminal offense against a victim who is a minor after July 1, 1997. The amendments also mandate that a central registry of sex offenders be maintained. This registry is known as the "State Sex Offender and Child Predator Registry". 

DEFINITIONS:

Sex Offender: A person convicted of committing or attempting to commit any of the following enumerated sex offenses or a comparable offense under the laws of another state.

Child Predator: A person convicted of committing or attempting to commit any of the following enumerated offenses or a comparable offense under the laws of another state when the victim is a minor and the defendant is not the parent of the victim.

Sexually Violent Predator: A person convicted of one of the following enumerated sex offenses and has been determined by the sentencing court to suffer from a mental abnormality or anti-social personality disorder which makes him likely to engage in predatory sexually violent offenses.

DUTY TO REGISTER

A. The registration law in effect prior to the passage of Act 1147 in 1997 required the offender to register in parish of residence. 

B. Any person convicted after July 1, 1997 for the commission or attempted commission of a sex offense or a criminal offense against a victim who is a minor has the duty to register. This duty also extends to those found not guilty by reason of insanity for an enumerated offense. The registration shall be for a period of ten years after the date the person was released from prison, placed on parole, supervised release, or probation for such conviction, unless the underlying conviction is reversed, set aside or vacated, or the offender is pardoned.

C. Any sex offender, child predator, or sexually violent predator convicted under the laws of another state or the United States who establishes a residence in Louisiana shall also register for a period of ten years. A person subject to registration under the laws of another state or the United States who establishes a residence in Louisiana shall also register in Louisiana.

D. Any person who has been determined to be a sexually violent predator, or who has a prior conviction for an offense for which registration is required, or is convicted of an aggravated offense as defined in R.S. 15:541, shall register for life.

E. Any non-resident full or part-time worker who would be required to register in his state of residence shall register in Louisiana. This provision applies to any person employed in this state, with or without compensation, for a period of more than fourteen days or an aggregate of thirty days during a calendar year.

F. Out-of-state, full or part-time students who would be required to register in their state of residence shall register in Louisiana.

G. Any resident of this state required to register shall notify the appropriate authority if leaves this state for full or part-time employment in another state for a period of more than fourteen days or for an aggregate of thirty days during the calendar year. Such persons shall also register with the appropriate authority in the state where such work is performed.

H. Any resident of this state required to register shall notify the appropriate authority if leaving this state to enroll in any school as a full or part-time student. Such persons shall also register with the appropriate authority in the state in which the school is located.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

The following information shall be collected if the offender is not placed in the jurisdictional custody of the Department Public Safety and Corrections:

This information is immediately entered into the Registry and is also forwarded to the parish in which the offender resides. The Bureau shall also transmit the information necessary for entry into the National Sex Offender Registry.

NOTIFICATION TO THOSE WITH A DUTY TO REGISTER

If a person required to register is released from prison, placed on parole, supervised release, or probation, a Department of Public Safety and Corrections officer or the court shall:

A. Inform the person of the duty to register then obtain the information required for registration.

B. Inform the person that if he changes residence address, he shall give the new address in writing to the Bureau within ten days from the date of the change of address.

C. Inform the person that if he changes residence to another state, he shall notify the State in writing and sex offender reporting in the state to which he is moving if that state has a registration requirement, within ten days from the date he establishes residence in that state.

D. Obtain fingerprints and a photograph of the person if these have not already been obtained in connection with the offense causing registration.

E. Require the person to read and sign a form acknowledging the duty of the person to register and the penalty for failure to comply.

VERIFICATION PROCEDURES

Any person required to register shall notify the State in writing of any change of address within ten days of the change. Failure to register, keep registration current, or notify the State of any change of address within ten days, is a criminal offense and punishable by law.  If the offender moves to another state, the State shall provide notification to the appropriate law enforcement agency in that state.

The registered offender's address is verified annually by the State by mailing a non-forwardable verification of address form to the offender's last reported address. The offender has ten days to complete the verification form and return it to the State. If the offender fails to return the verification form within the statutorily allotted time period, the State must notify the appropriate sheriff, chief of police, and Department of Public Safety and Corrections officer if the offender is under supervision. Failure to verify address is a criminal offense punishable by law.

The address of sexually violent predators shall be verified every ninety days following receipt of initial registration.

PENALTIES

A. A person who fails to register as required by law shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both upon conviction.

B. Upon a second or subsequent conviction, whoever fails to register as required shall be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than three years without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.

C. If the offender is on released supervision, failure to register or verify address may also result in revocation of his probation or parole.

The following list contains the specific section of the Louisiana Criminal Code and the literal offense for which registration as a Sex Offender is required.

A person convicted of any of the following offenses when the victim is an adult is a sex offender. A person convicted of any of the following offenses when the victim is under the age of 18 and the defendant is not the parent of the victim is a sex offender and also a child predator.

NOTE:  If you submitted your request to us and did not provide a zip code for us to search, then we have searched under the zip code of the address that you provided when you signed up to use our services. If you need a different zip code checked, please contact our offices at 1-800-315-7678.
                      
If you have the name of a particular individual whom you would like us to
check, again, please call our offices and we can usually tell you if they are registered as a sex offender in your state. We can be reached Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. MST.  1-800-315-7678
  
This information is updated regularly, to try to assure that it is complete and accurate.  However, this information can change quickly.  You are cautioned that the information provided in this site search is information of record and may not reflect the current residence, status, or other information regarding a registrant (offender).
       
Sex offenders have always lived in our communities; but it wasn't until the passage of the sex and child offender registration act that the law enforcement even knew where they were living. In many cases, this information is now available to enhance public safety and protection.
         
WARNING: Abuse of this information to threaten, intimidate or harass registered sex offenders will not be tolerated. Further, such abuse could potentially end the ability to provide this information. We believe the only person who wins if this ends is the offender, since sex offenders derive their power through secrecy.

Or contact customerservice@sexoffendersusa.com by e-mail.