Ch. 142

1995 LAWS OF MARYLAND

CHAPTER 142
(Senate Bill 79)

AN ACT concerning

Child Sexual Offenders - Notification and Registration

FOR the purpose of requiring the Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services,
the Director of the Patuxent Institution, and the Secretary of Health and Mental
Hygiene, administrators of certain local detention centers, and certain courts to
notify certain individuals of the release or escape of child sexual offenders;
specifying the contests of a notice required under this Act; requiring certain
individuals convicted of, granted probation before judgment for, or found not
criminally responsible for, certain sexual offenses against children to register with
the local certain law enforcement agency in the jurisdiction in which the child sexual
offender resides agencies and to send written notice to certain individuals within a
certain period of time; requiring the Department of Parole and Probation to adopt
certain regulations concerning the notification requirements under this Act;
specifying the contents of registration statements; establishing certain procedures
for the registration and notification of chances of address; requiring local certain
law enforcement agencies to send certain information to the State Police, the police
departments of certain municipal corporations under certain circumstances, and
certain school superintendents within certain periods of time; authorizing certain
law enforcement agencies to send certain information to certain—community
organizations under certain circumstances; requiring certain law enforcement
agencies to establish certain procedures; specifying that certain persons are immune
from civil liability for the release of certain information; requiring certain law
enforcement agencies and the State Police to send copies of registration statements
to certain individuals upon request; requiring that registration statements be kept
confidential, except under certain circumstances; requiring child sexual offenders to
register for a certain number of years; providing a certain penalty for violation of
certain provisions of this Act; defining certain terms; providing for the prospective
application of this Act; certain supervising authorities to send written notice of the
release of a child sexual offender to the local law enforcement agency in the county
where the offender will reside; requiring that the written notice contain certain
information; requiring that such notice be sent to certain persons upon request and to
certain other persons under certain circumstances; requiring a child sexual offender to
register with the local law enforcement agency within a certain period; requiring a local
law enforcement agency to send a certain notice to the county superintendent within a
certain period; requiring the county superintendent to send a certain notice to the
principals of the schools within the supervision of the superintendent within a certain
period; allowing a local law enforcement agency to send a certain notice to certain other
organizations under certain circumstances; requiring a local law enforcement agency to
establish procedures for carrying out certain parts of the Act; establishing certain
immunity for elected public officials, public employees, and public agencies; requiring a
supervising authority to give written notice of the registration requirements of the Act to
a child sexual offender and obtain a signed statement from the offender acknowledging
receipt of the notice; requiring that a registration statement include certain information;

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