In the past couple of weeks I have received several calls from folks who wondered why the State of Connecticut has not taken the initiative to remove them from the state's sex offender registry. It appears as if the state will not take the initiative in removing folks from the list. Will litigation be necessary to force the state's hand?
Connecticut General Statutes Section 54-254 requires that a person convicted of a felony that the court finds was committed for a sexual purpose to register as a sex offender with the Department of Public Safety. The registration is to take place for a period of ten years.
Callers wonder why, once their ten year stint on the list has passed, they are still listed for all the world to see. Doesn't the state have an obligation to remove their names? The callers are afraid to contact the Department of Public Safety for fear that they will stir a hornet's nest.
I've advised several folks to write to the department to request removal. I don't know if they will. But it seems to me that if there is a pervasive pattern of the department's failing to remove these folks' names once their ten year registration period has passed then the department is breaking the law.
Perhaps it will take a class action suit to force the department's hand. Or perhaps someone will pass this along to the Department of Public Safety with a simple request: Please follow the law you are entrusted to enforce. Here's a link to the department: http://www.communitynotification.com/cap_office_disclaimer.php?office=54567