Del. Code tit. 11 § 4336

Current through 2024 Legislative Session Act Chapter 531
Section 4336 - Community notice of offenders on probation, parole, conditional release, or release from confinement
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the Department of Correction or the Department of Services to Children, Youth and Their Families (DSCYF) as the case may be, shall provide written notice to the Attorney General, to the chief law-enforcement officer of the jurisdiction which made the original arrest, to the chief law-enforcement officer where the prisoner intends to reside and to the Superintendent of State Police, of the release from incarceration of any person who has been convicted of:
(1)
a. Any of the offenses specified in §§ 764 through 777 of this title;
b. Any of the offenses specified in §§ 1108 through 1111 of this title; or
c. Attempt to commit any of the foregoing offenses, or of the release of any juvenile adjudicated delinquent on the basis of an offense which, if committed by an adult, would constitute:
(2)
a. Any of the offenses specified in §§ 764 through 777 of this title;
b. Any of the offenses specified in §§ 1108 through 1111 of this title; or
c. Attempt to commit any of the foregoing offenses.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the official in charge of any other institution where an inmate is confined because of the commission or attempt to commit any of the offenses specified subsection (a) of this section, or the official in charge of a state hospital to which a person is committed as a result of having been convicted or adjudged guilty but mentally ill or adjudged not guilty by reason of insanity of 1 of the offenses specified in subsection (a) of this section, shall provide written notice to the Attorney General, to the chief law enforcement officer of the jurisdiction which made the original arrest, to the chief law enforcement officer where the prisoner intends to reside and to the Superintendent of State Police of the release from such institution or state hospital of any such inmate or person.
(c) Any notice required pursuant to subsection (a) or subsection (b) of this section shall be given no more than 90 days, and no less than 45 days, prior to such person's release. The notice shall include, without limitation, the legal name, any alias or nicknames, age, sex, race, fingerprints, all known identifying factors, offense history, anticipated future residence and a photo of the released person supplied by the Department of Correction or the DSCYF, as the case may be, and taken not more than 90 days prior to release. No person shall be released from incarceration or confinement unless and until the person cooperates with the appropriate authorities pursuant to this section.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the court, where a person convicted of any of the offenses specified in subsection (a) of this section is released by a state court on probation or discharged by a state court upon payment of a fine, shall provide written notice to the Attorney General, to the chief law enforcement officer of the jurisdiction which made the original arrest, to the chief law enforcement officer where the convicted person intends to reside and to the Superintendent of State Police of the release from such court.
(e) Any notice pursuant to subsection (d) of this section shall be given no more than 5 working days after the person's release. The notice shall include, without limitation, the following information as it is available to the court or notation as to the repository for said information: the legal name, any alias or nicknames, age, sex, race, fingerprints, all known identifying factors, offense history, anticipated future residence and a photo taken not more than 90 days prior to release.
(f) The Attorney General shall use any reasonable means to notify the victim of the anticipated release unless the victim has requested not to be notified.
(g) The Attorney General shall, within 10 days after receiving notification of a pending release pursuant to subsection (a) or subsection (b) of this section, or notification of release pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, assess the offender in accordance with the Registrant Risk Assessment Scale, the form of which and a manual for which are attached hereto as Exhibit A. The Attorney General shall notify the Delaware State Police and the chief law enforcement officer of the jurisdiction where the offender intends to reside as to the resulting score on the Registrant Risk Assessment Scale, and shall forward a copy of the completed Registrant Risk Assessment Scale to the Superintendent of the Delaware State Police and to the chief law enforcement officer of the jurisdiction where the registrant offender intends to reside.
(h) The chief law enforcement officer of the jurisdiction where the inmate intends to reside, or the Superintendent of State Police if no local agency exists, shall provide notification of the convicted sex offender's release in accordance with the following guidelines:
(1) Those persons receiving a "Low Risk" score on the Registrant Risk Assessment Scale shall be considered a Tier One offender. The release of Tier One offenders will require notification to all law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction over the area where the offender intends to reside.
(2) Those persons receiving a "Moderate Risk" score on the Registrant Risk Assessment Scale shall be considered a Tier Two offender. In addition to law enforcement notification, the release of a Tier Two offender shall require a Community Organization Alert pursuant to this paragraph. Such Community Organization Alert may include a photograph of the offender if deemed appropriate by the notifying agency. In order to be a community organization entitled to Tier Two notification, such organizations must register with the local law enforcement agency, or where the community has no local law enforcement agency, with the Superintendent of State Police. Organizations may only be included on the notification list if they operate an establishment where children gather under their care or where women are cared for. The State Board of Education shall provide all law enforcement agencies within the State a list of all educational institutions within the Board's administration. Every law enforcement agency shall automatically register each institution on the Board's list located within its jurisdiction. Notification will go to those organizations which, at any specific time, are likely to encounter the released offender. "Likely to encounter" for the purposes of this section means that the location of any organization is such that they are in close geographic proximity to a location where the released offender resides or visits or can be presumed to visit on a regular basis.
(3) Those persons receiving a "High Risk" score on the Registrant Risk Assessment Scale shall be considered a Tier Three offender. In addition to law enforcement notification and a Community Organization Alert, the release of a Tier Three offender shall require community notification pursuant to this paragraph. Community notification shall be conducted by door-to-door appearances or by mail or by other methods devised specifically to notify members of the public likely to encounter the offender. Community notification should be targeted to a defined community. Such community notification may include a photograph of the offender if deemed appropriate by the notifying agency.
(i) A complete register of all persons convicted after June 27, 1994, of any of the offenses specified in subsection (a) of this section, or of attempt to commit any of such offenses shall be created, maintained and routinely updated by the Delaware State Police for immediate accessibility by the Delaware Justice Information System (DelJIS) computer to all law enforcement agencies. Such register shall be accessible by the name of each offender or by county of residence of each offender. The register required by this subsection shall be established by the Delaware State Police no later than 6 months after June 21, 1996.
(j) All elected public officials, public employees and public agencies are immune from civil liability for any discretionary decision to release relevant information unless it is shown that the official, employee or agency acted with gross negligence or in bad faith. The immunity provided under this section applies to the release of relevant information to other employees or officials or to the general public.
(k) There shall be no civil legal remedies available as a cause of action against any public official, public employee or public agency for failing to release information as authorized in this section.
(l) In addition to those circumstances enumerated in this section, law enforcement agencies shall notify any member of the public of the release of a person described in subsection (a), subsection (b) or subsection (d) of this section where such released person may pose a particular threat or danger to a member of the public.
(m) The Court in which any person described in subsection (a) of this section is sentenced shall designate for the Department of Correction or the DSCYF, as the case may be, at the time of sentencing that notice in accordance with this section shall be required.
(n) The Court in which any person described in subsection (b) of this section is sentenced shall designate for the official in charge of the institution of confinement or state hospital at the time of sentencing that notice in accordance with this section shall be required.
(o) The Court in which any person described in subsection (d) of this section is sentenced shall determine, at the time of sentencing, that notice in accordance with this section shall be required.
(p) The Department of Technology and Information shall provide public notification of the name of every person designated by the Attorney General as a Tier Three sex offender pursuant to paragraph (h)(3) of this section (including any known alias), the last verified address of the offender, the title of any sex offense for which the offender has been convicted and the date of conviction. Such information shall be searchable by the name of the sex offender and by geographic criteria, and shall be made available to the public by the Internet, and by printed copy that shall be available on request at any state or local police agency and all public libraries within the State. Such information shall be updated as often as practicable, but not less than every 3 months, and shall be maintained by the Superintendent of the Delaware State Police, as set forth in § 4120 of this title, and elsewhere in this section.
(q) This section shall apply with respect to persons convicted after June 21, 1996, but before March 1, 1999.

11 Del. C. § 4336

69 Del. Laws, c. 469, §1; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1; 70 Del. Laws, c. 373, § 1; 71 Del. Laws, c. 428, § 1; 71 Del. Laws, c. 429, § 3; 74 Del. Laws, c. 128, § 1; 77 Del. Laws, c. 318, § 6.;