Bill > S0023

This bill modifies South Carolina's sex offender registration requirements for juveniles, primarily focusing on age restrictions and public disclosure of registry information. The legislation amends existing law to explicitly state that children under fourteen years old cannot be required to register as sex offenders, removing previous discretionary language. For juveniles fourteen and older who have been adjudicated delinquent for certain sexual offenses, the court may still require registration based on factors like psychosexual risk assessment, the juvenile's age, mitigating and aggravating circumstances, and prior adjudications. The bill also revises public access to juvenile sex offender registry information, limiting full public disclosure to only the most serious Tier III offenses like first and second-degree criminal sexual conduct. For other offenses, information would only be available upon request to specific entities like schools, child care centers, and organizations serving children or vulnerable populations, while maintaining full information access for law enforcement. The changes aim to balance public safety concerns with recognizing the developmental differences and rehabilitation potential of juvenile offenders.

Justice

https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=23&session=126&summary=B