§ 15:543 — Duties of the courts, sheriffs, and the Department of Public Safety and Corrections and the office of juvenile justice; informing the offender of the registration and notification requirements

A. The court shall provide written notification to any person convicted of a sex offense and a criminal offense against a victim who is a minor of the registration requirements and the notification requirements of this Chapter. For purposes of this Subsection, the court shall use the form contained in R.S. 15:543.1 and shall provide a copy of the registration and notification statutes to the offender. Such notice shall be included on any guilty plea forms and judgment and sentence forms provided to the defendant, and an entry shall be made in the court minutes stating that the written notification was provided to such offenders. If the offender is not sentenced to incarceration, then the court shall notify the bureau of the conviction of the offender.
B. When a person who is required to register under this Chapter is released from incarceration or placed under parole, supervised release, or probation, the Department of Public Safety and Corrections for adult offenders, or the office of juvenile justice for juvenile offenders, or the sheriff if the offender is housed in the parish jail, or the court if the offender is not incarcerated or placed in the jurisdictional custody of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections or the office of juvenile justice, shall:
(1) Inform the person of the duty to register in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter.
(2) Inform the person of the duty to provide community notification as required by the provisions of this Chapter.
(3) Inform the person of the duty to provide in-person verification as required by the provisions of this Chapter.
(4) Inform the person of the duty to provide information regarding a change of address and other information and proof of residence as required by the provisions of this Chapter.
(5) Inform the person that if the person changes residence to another state, the person shall notify in writing both the bureau and the law enforcement agency designated for sex offender reporting under the laws of the state in which the new address is located if that state has a registration requirement, within three days from the date the person establishes residence in the new state.
(6) Obtain fingerprints, if not already on file, the registration information required by the provisions of R.S. 15:542 for inclusion into the state sex offender and child predator registry, and a current photograph of the person. The agency responsible in this Section for collecting the registration information shall, before release of the offender, transfer that information to the bureau for immediate inclusion in the registry which shall constitute preregistration, but which shall only be deemed completed registration upon the in-person verification by the offender with the appropriate law enforcement agency as provided in R.S. 15:542, within three business days of conviction, if not incarcerated immediately after conviction, or of release from confinement.
(7) Require the person to read and sign a form stating that the requirements of the provisions of this Chapter and the penalty for failure to comply with those requirements have been explained.
C. The Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall provide written notification to an individual convicted of a sex offense or a criminal offense against a victim who is a minor from another state of the registration and notification requirements of this Chapter at the time the department accepts supervision and has legal authority of the individual under the terms and conditions of the interstate compact agreement under R.S. 15:574.31. The sheriff of the parish of the offender's residence shall also provide written notification of the registration and notification requirements contained in this Chapter to every offender who presents himself to the sheriff for the purpose of fulfilling the registration requirements contained in this Chapter as well as a copy of the registration and notification statutes. The offender shall sign an affidavit confirming receipt of such notification.
D. Repealed by Acts 2007, No. 460, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 2008.
E. At the time a person renews his driver's license or identification card, or surrenders a driver's license from another jurisdiction and makes an application for a driver's license or an identification card, the Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall provide the applicant with written information on the registration requirements of R.S. 15:542.

Legislative History

Acts 1992, No. 388, §1, eff. June 18, 1992; Acts 2007, No. 460, §§2 and 3, eff. Jan. 1, 2008; Acts 2008, No. 816, §1.