PC 290.018

Failure to Register as a Sex Offender

Information on the crime of failure to register as a sex offender is found at California penal code section 290.018.

PC 290.018 Law (Abbr.)

  290.018.  
(a) A person who is required to register under the Act based on a misdemeanor conviction or juvenile adjudication who willfully violates any requirement of the act is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year.

(b) Except as provided in subdivisions (f), (h), (i), and (k), a person who is required to register under the act based on a felony conviction or juvenile adjudication who willfully violates any requirement of the act or who has a prior conviction or juvenile adjudication for the offense of failing to register under the act and who subsequently and willfully violates any requirement of the act is guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or two or three years.

(c) If probation is granted or if the imposition or execution of sentence is suspended, it shall be a condition of the probation or suspension that the person serve at least 90 days in a county jail. The penalty described in subdivision (b) or this subdivision shall apply whether or not the person has been released on parole or has been discharged from parole.

(d) A person determined to be a mentally disordered sex offender or who has been found guilty in the guilt phase of trial for an offense for which registration is required under the act, but who has been found not guilty by reason of insanity in the sanity phase of the trial, or who has had a petition sustained in a juvenile adjudication for an offense for which registration is required pursuant to Section 290.008, but who has been found not guilty by reason of insanity, who willfully violates any requirement of the act is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year. For any second or subsequent willful violation of any requirement of the act, the person is guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or two or three years.

(e) If, after discharge from parole, the person is convicted of a felony or suffers a juvenile adjudication as specified in this act, he or she shall be required to complete parole of at least one year, in addition to any other punishment imposed under this section. A person convicted of a felony as specified in this section may be granted probation only in the unusual case where the interests of justice would best be served. When probation is granted under this act, the court shall specify on the record and shall enter into the minutes the circumstances indicating that the interests of justice would best be served by the disposition.

(f) A person who has ever been adjudicated a sexually violent predator, as defined in Section 6600 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and who fails to verify his or her registration every 90 days as required pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 290.012, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison or in a county jail not exceeding one year.

(g) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (f), a person who is required to register or reregister pursuant to Section 290.011 and willfully fails to comply with the requirement that he or she reregister no less than every 30 days is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail for at least 30 days, but not exceeding six months. A person who willfully fails to comply with the requirement that he or she reregister no less than every 30 days shall not be charged with this violation more often than once for a failure to register in any period of 90 days. A person who willfully commits a third or subsequent violation of the requirements of Section 290.011 that he or she reregister no less than every 30 days shall be punished in accordance with either subdivision (a) or (b).

(h) A person who fails to provide proof of residence as required by paragraph (7) of subdivision (a) of Section 290.015, regardless of the offense upon which the duty to register is based, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months.

(i) A person who fails to provide his or her Internet identifiers, as required by paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 290.015, regardless of the offense upon which the duty to register is based, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable in a county jail not exceeding six months.

(j) A person who is required to register under the act who willfully violates any requirement of the act is guilty of a continuing offense as to each requirement he or she violated.

(k) In addition to any other penalty imposed under this section, the failure to provide information required on registration and reregistration forms of the Department of Justice, or the provision of false information, is a crime punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not exceeding one year. This subdivision shall not be construed to limit or prevent prosecution under any applicable law.

(l) Whenever a person is released on parole or probation and is required to register under the act but fails to do so within the time prescribed, the parole authority or the court, as the case may be, shall order the parole or probation of the person revoked. For purposes of this subdivision, “parole authority” has the same meaning as described in Section 3000.

PC 290.018 Sentence & Punishment

Jail or Prison. PC 290.018(a) is charged as a misdemeanor. The maximum sentence after a conviction for misdemeanor PC 290.018(a) is one (1) year in jail.

PC 290.018(b) is charged as a felony. The maximum sentence after a conviction for PC 290.018(b) is three (3) years in prison.

Probation Sentence: A probation sentence is period of supervision instead of a prison sentence. Probation sentences carry conditions of probation, or terms of probation, that must be followed in order to avoid further punishment, including an actual prison sentence. A probation sentence for felony PC 290.018(b) is called felony probation and is supervised and monitored by a felony probation officer. A probation sentence for misdemeanor PC 290.018(a) is called informal probation, which is not monitored or supervised by a probation officer. Probation sentences for the crimes of failure to register as sex offender (PC 290.018) are available, but they are not guaranteed. To be granted a felony probation setence after a conviction for felony failure to register as a sex offender (PC 290.018(b)) the court must find unusual circumstances in the case. Ultimately, whether or not a defendant will be granted a felony or misdemeanor probation sentence on any PC 290.018 conviction depends largely on the facts of the case and the defendant's criminal history.

Sex Offender Registration: If found guilty of lewd and lascivious acts on a minor under 14 (PC 288(a)), the defendant will be ordered to register as a sex offender pursuant to PC 290. For more information please see sex offender registration requirements.

Jail or Prison Sentence: Oral copulation on a minor (PC 288a(b)(1)), is classified as a wobbler, which means the crime is charged as a felony or as a misdemeanor. The maximum sentence after a conviction for felony PC 288a(b)(1) is three (3) years in state prison. The maximum sentence after a conviction for misdemeanor PC 288a(b)(1) is one (1) year in county jail.

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PC 290.018: Failure to Register as a Sex Offender

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