The State of California has stopped the registration of juvenile offenders, according to the CA Sex Offender Management Board. This change applies to individuals tried as a juvenile, not as an adult, who were convicted of a sex offense or sentenced for a sex offense on or after July 1, 2021. The change does not apply to individuals convicted or sentenced of a sex offense prior to July 1, 2021, however those individuals may petition for removal from the registry after 5 years or 10 years depending upon the convictions offense. There is no requirement for juvenile registrants to remain on the registry for their lifetime.
The California legislature stopped the future registration of juvenile offenders when it passed Senate Bill 823 in August 2020. The bill did not become effective, however, until July 1, 2021. The bill also created an Office of Youth and Community Restoration whose duties include oversight of a statewide effort to allow juvenile offenders to be housed in the same communities as their families.
The first director of the Office of Youth and Community Restoration is Katherine Lucero, a former juvenile court judge, who started to work as director in January 2022. In the office’s first newsletter published earlier this month, Ms. Lucero stated, “having youth close to home will allow for meaningful family and community engagement in their rehabilitative journey.”
According to a CASOMB member, “we consider this good for California.” Senate Bill 823 was signed into law by Governor Newsom on September 30, 2020.
Fantastic! Another chip at the wall.
This is SICKENING!!! Why the HELL is it not retroactive??? Things are only retroactive when it is punishment against registrants. But when it means to benefit registrants, then it’s only prospective.
Don’t get me wrong. This is a step in the right direction. But come on!!!!!
To bad there are still private databases containing registry records. There will be no taking that back.
Not only is the failure to stop registration for juveniles, retroactively, sickening, but so is the fact that people’s brains don’t mature until 25 to 30 years old. A lot of “Registered Sex Offenders” committed their crimes when they were young adults.
Our DISGUSTING and CORRUPT court system does not acknowledge this scientifically proven fact.
I will never understand why, other than money, I guess that is my answer, that laws are passed to correct past mistakes without including everyone caught up in those mistakes made by legislators.
“Having youth close to home will allow for meaningful family and community engagement in their rehabilitative journey.” Let’s hope they have meaningful engagement or are able to find it however needed to give them the best opp to be successful in their own right. Sometimes the home and community are not conducive so other options need to be considered.
I was 18 years old and 19 when I was sentenced to a year for a 243.4 (a). I am now 46 years old. Recently my internet disclosure was taken away after years not on the internet as I was designated a tier III designation since my crime was a felony. My victim was 15 and I was 18 at the time. I never had even a police interview. Oh and when 22 years later I am sentenced 2 years in 2016 (another bad time in my life) for a dui with my son in the car and CDCR decides to put me through a sex offender program since my crime had so much to do with a sex offense lol which I successfully discharged a year early in just 2 years. As of now, I have no hope of ever getting off this which hunt site, and I know I am not that 18 year old ex gang member who also went to prison for an 11 year sentence for a drive by shooting. I’m changed, I’m not dictated by Megan’s Law or by my choices at 18 years old. To this state, I will ALWAYS be that 18 year old (Adult) lol.