Lawrence Police Department - Information About Sex Offenders

Information About Sex Offenders

What is a Sex Offender?

A sex offender is any person who resides, works or attends an institution of higher learning in the Commonwealth and who has been convicted of a sex offense, or who has been adjudicated as a youthful offender or as a delinquent juvenile by reason of a sex offense, or a person released from incarceration or parole or probation supervision or custody with the department of youth services for such a conviction or adjudication, or a person who has been adjudicated a sexually dangerous person or a person released from civil commitment on or after August 1, 1981.

Sex offenders will be classified according to the degree of dangerousness they pose to the public and their likelihood for re-offense. An offender's classification will be:

a Level 1 or "low risk" offender,
a Level 2 or "moderate risk" offender, or
a Level 3 or "high risk" offender.

In addition, if the Board, in finally giving an offender a Level 3 classification, also concludes that such sex offender should be designated a Sexually Violent Predator, the Board shall transmit a report to the sentencing court explaining the Board's reasons for so recommending, including specific identification of the sexually violent offense committed by such sex offender and the mental abnormality from which he suffers. The sentencing court shall then have the ultimate decision to determine whether such sex offender is a sexually violent predator.

4 Levels of Sex Offenders

Level 1 Sex Offenders

Where the Sex Offender Registry Board determines that the risk of reoffense by an offender is low and the degree of dangerousness posed to the public by that offender is not such that a public safety interest is served by public availability, the Board shall give that offender a Level 1 designation.

Information on Level 1 offenders will not be available to the public. Neither the police nor the Board have authority to disseminate information to the general public identifying a Level 1 offender.

Information identifying Level 1 offenders may only be given to the department of correction, any county correctional facility, the department of youth services, the department of social services, the parole Board, the department of probation and the department of mental health, all city and town police departments and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for law enforcement purposes.

Level 2 Sex Offenders

Where the Board determines that the risk of reoffense is moderate and the degree of dangerousness posed to the public is such that a public safety interest is served by public availability of registration information, it shall give a level 2 designation to the sex offender.

The public shall have access to the information regarding a level 2 offender through the Lawrence Police Department and through the Sex Offender Registry Board.

Level 3 Sex Offenders

Where the Board determines that the risk of reoffense is high and the degree of dangerousness posed to the public is such that a substantial public safety interest is served by active dissemination, it shall give a level 3 designation to the sex offender.

The public shall have access to the information regarding a level 3 offender through the Lawrence Police Department and through the Sex Offender Registry Board.

Level 3 Sexually Violent Predators

If the Board, in finally giving an offender a level 3 classification, also concludes that such sex offender should be designated a sexually violent predator, the Board shall transmit a report to the sentencing court explaining the Board's reasons for so recommending, including specific identification of the sexually violent offense committed by such sex offender and the mental abnormality from which he suffers. The sentencing court at that point may determine by a preponderance of the evidence, whether such sex offender is a Sexually Violent Predator.

The public shall have access to the information regarding a Sexually Violent Predator through the Lawrence Police Department and through the Sex Offender Registry Board.

Penalties For Improper Use Of Sex Offender Registry Information

Information contained in the Sex Offender Registry shall not be used to commit a crime against an offender or to engage in illegal discrimination or harassment of an offender. Any person who improperly uses Sex Offender Registry information shall be punished by not more than two and one-half years in the house of correction or by a fine of not more than $1,000 or by both such fine and imprisonment.