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A sex offender is any person who resides or works 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.
For a listing of crimes that require registration as a sex offender please visit our Who Has to Register page.
Sex offenders will be classified according to the degree of dangerousness they pose to the
public and their likelihood for reoffense. 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.
Any member of the public who is at least 18 years of age
or older may request sex offender information. The information will be provided to any
person who is seeking the information for his/her own protection or for the protection of
a child under the age of 18 or for the protection of another person whom the requesting
person has responsibility, care, or custody.
You may request sex offender information at the Rockland Police Department or through the
Sex Offender Registry Board directly.
| Information about a sex offender
is available to the public only if he/she has a duty to register and he/she has been
finally classified by the Board as a Level 2 or a Level 3 Offender. Before an offender can
be finally classified, he/she must be offered the opportunity for an administrative,
evidentiary hearing to determine his/her degree of dangerousness and likelihood for
reoffense. As a result, information pertaining to a sex offender will not be available to
the public unless and until he/she has been given the opportunity for a hearing. The Board
is currently contacting offenders to offer them the opportunity to have a hearing. Once an
offender is finally classified as a Level 2 or a Level 3 Offender, his/her sex offender
registry information will be available to the public. Registry information will be updated
regularly. You may obtain registry information by appearing in person at your local police
department or by requesting information from the Board by mail. Please check this website
often for updates. |
A person may request sex offender information by going to his/her local city or town
police station. After presenting proper identification, the requester must fill out a sex
offender request form containing:
1. The name and address of the requester.
2. Information may be requested in the following manners:
- Inquire whether a specifically named individual or a
person described by sufficient identifying information to allow the police to identify the
individual is a sex offender; or
- The requester may inquire whether any sex offenders live
or work within the same city or town of a specific address, including, but not limited to,
a residential address, business address, school, after school program, day care center,
playground, recreational area or other identified address; or
- The requester may inquire whether any sex offenders live
or work at a specific street address within the city or town where the person is
requesting sex offender information; or
- Where the police department is located in a city or town
with more than one zip code area, the inquiry may ask whether any sex offenders live or
work within a specified zip code. In Boston such inquiry may be made by specified police
district.
3. The reason for the request.
4. The date and time of the request.
If the request results in the identification of a sex offender, the police will distribute
the offender’s name, home address, work address, age, sex, height, weight, eye and
hair color, the sex offenses committed and the dates of conviction and/or adjudication and
a photo of the offender, if available.
The information will be provided free of charge.
All information provided to the public will include language prohibiting the misuse of sex
offender information for harassment or discriminatory purposes.
All records of inquiry will be kept confidential, except to assist or defend in a criminal
prosecution.
The police will not release information identifying the victim by name, address or
relation to the offender.
For copies of the form to request sex offender information from the Rockland Police
Department. Please visit our Forms and Publications
page.
NOTE: Any information provided by either the police or the Sex Offender Registry
Board will be limited only to offenders who have been finally classified by the Board
Level 2 or Level 3 offenders or Sexually Violent Predators. The law prohibits the Board
and police departments from disseminating any information on a sex offender
who has not been finally classified by the Board or who has been finally classified as a
Level 1 offender.
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. |
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