Title 15 — Title 15

(a) The state, upon conviction and prior to sentencing, may petition the sentencing court to enter an order declaring a person convicted in this state of a sexually violent or predatory offense as a sexually violent predator. (b) At sentencing, a court may declare a person to be …

The Legislature makes all of the following findings: (1) Registration and notification laws are a vital concern as the number of sex offenders continues to rise. The increasing numbers coupled with the danger of recidivism place society at risk. Registration and notification laws…

(a) The Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency shall implement a system of active and passive electronic monitoring that identifies the location of a monitored person and that can produce upon request reports or records of the person’s presence near or within a crime scene or prohi…

(a) Immediately upon the release of an adult sex offender or immediately upon notice of where the adult sex offender plans to establish, or has established a fixed residence, the following procedures shall apply: (1) In the Cities of Birmingham, Mobile, Huntsville, and Montgomery…

(a) An adult sex offender shall pay a registration fee in the amount of ten dollars ($10) to each registering agency where the adult sex offender resides beginning with the first quarterly registration on or after July 1, 2011, and at each quarterly registration thereafter. (b) E…

(a) A sex offender required to register under this chapter may petition the court for relief from the residency restriction pursuant to subsection (a) of Section 15-20A-11 during the time a sex offender is terminally ill or permanently immobile, or the sex offender has a debilita…

(a) At disposition, sentencing, upon completion of probation, or upon completion of a term of registration ordered by the sentencing court, a sex offender may petition the court for relief from the requirements of this chapter resulting from any of the following offenses, provide…

(a) A sex offender may petition at sentencing, or if after sentencing, a sex offender may file a petition in the civil division of the circuit court in the county where the sex offender seeks to accept or maintain employment for relief from the employment restrictions pursuant to…

(a) Upon adjudication of delinquency for a sex offense, a juvenile sex offender shall be required to receive sex offender treatment by a sex offender treatment program or provider approved by the Department of Youth Services. (b) Upon completion of sex offender treatment, the juv…

(a) In determining whether to apply notification requirements to a juvenile sex offender, the sentencing court shall consider any of the following factors relevant to the risk of re-offense: (1) Conditions of release that minimize the risk of re-offense, including, but not limite…

(a) A juvenile adjudicated delinquent of any of the following sex offenses, who was 14 or older at the time of the offense, shall be subject to registration and notification, if applicable, for life: (1) Rape in the first degree, as provided by Section 13A-6-61. (2) Sodomy in the…

(a) Prior to the release of a juvenile sex offender, the following shall apply: (1) The juvenile sex offender and the parent, custodian, or guardian of the juvenile sex offender shall provide the required registration information to the responsible agency. (2) If the juvenile sex…

(a) This chapter is applicable to every adult sex offender convicted of a sex offense as defined in Section 15-20A-5, without regard to when his or her crime or crimes were committed or his or her duty to register arose. (b) Any adult sex offender shall be subject to this chapter…

Residence Restrictions. (a) Immediately upon release or immediately upon adjudication of delinquency if the juvenile sex offender is not committed, the juvenile sex offender and the parent, custodian, or guardian shall register all required registration information with local law…

(a) During the time a juvenile sex offender is subject to the registration requirements of this chapter, the juvenile sex offender shall not accept or maintain employment or a volunteer position at any school, childcare facility, or any other business or organization that provide…

(a) A juvenile sex offender or youthful offender sex offender, or equivalent thereto, who is not currently a resident of this state, shall immediately appear in person and register all required registration information upon establishing a residence, accepting employment or a volu…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the court records of juvenile sex offenders are to be retained, either in paper format or electronically, and not to be destroyed for a period of 75 years from the date of adjudication. History: (Act 2011-640, p. 1569, §33.)

(a) A juvenile sex offender subject to lifetime registration pursuant to Section 15- 20A-28 may file a petition requesting the sentencing juvenile court to enter an order relieving the juvenile sex offender of the requirements pursuant to this chapter 25 years after the juvenile …

For the purposes of this chapter, a youthful offender sex offender who has not been previously adjudicated or convicted of a sex offense and who has not yet attained the age of 18 at the time of the offense shall be considered a juvenile sex offender. A youthful offender sex offe…

(a) No sex offender shall change his or her name unless the change is incident to a change in the marital status of the sex offender or is necessary to effect the exercise of the religion of the sex offender. Such a change shall be immediately reported to local law enforcement in…

(a) When a sex offender declares, and the county is notified that a sex offender intends to reside, maintain employment or a volunteer position, or attend school in the county and the sex offender fails to appear for registration, the county that received the notice shall immedia…

(a) If a sex offender escapes from a state or local correctional facility, juvenile detention facility, or any other facility that would not permit unsupervised access to the public, the responsible agency, within 24 hours, shall notify the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency, l…

Sex Offender. (a) A person is guilty of the crime of harboring, assisting, concealing, or withholding information about a sex offender if the person has knowledge or reason to believe that a sex offender is required to register and the person assists the sex offender in avoiding …

For purposes of this chapter, the following words shall have the following meanings: (1) ADULT SEX OFFENDER. A person convicted of a sex offense. (2) CHILD. A person who has not attained the age of 12. (3) CHILDCARE FACILITY. A licensed child daycare center, a licensed childcare …

(a) It is the intent of the Legislature that a duplicate of a certified copy of a public record be admissible and is not dependent on the original custodian of record to gain admissibility. Further, the Legislature finds that the certification by the clerk of the court and the ce…

(a) After a sex offender’s conviction or adjudication, and upon request of the Attorney General’s Office, the office of the prosecuting attorney or the clerk of the court shall immediately forward the victim’s name and most current address, if available, to the Attorney General’s…

Enforcement Agency. (a) Any jurisdiction or agency responsible for registering a sex offender shall immediately forward all required registration information and any changes to the required registration information received to the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency in a manner …

(a) Except as provided in Sections 15-20A-5, 15-20A-16, 15-20A-23, 15-20A-24, 15-20A-25, 15-20A-34 or the former 15-20-21(4)(a), the requirements of this chapter are mandatory and shall not be altered, amended, waived, or suspended by any court. Any court order altering, amending…

[Effective until October 1, 2026.] AMENDED BY ACTS 2026-375 AND 2026-544, EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2026. SEE ACT FOR REVISED LANGUAGE. (a) The Secretary of the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency shall adopt rules establishing an administrative hearing for persons who are only made …

(a) A sex offender who is convicted of any offense specified in this chapter, in addition to any imprisonment or fine, or both, and in addition to any other fees, costs, and assessments, imposed for the commission of the underlying offense, shall be punished by a fine of two hund…

(a) The two hundred dollar ($200) filing fee paid by a sex offender who petitions the court for relief pursuant to Sections 15-20A-16, 15-20A-23, 15-20A-24, 15-20A-25, or 15-20A-34 shall be distributed as follows: (1) Fifty dollars ($50) to the Circuit Clerk’s Restitution Recover…

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as creating a cause of action against the state or any of its agencies, officials, employees, or political subdivisions based on the performance of any duty imposed by this chapter or the failure to perform any duty imposed by this chapt…

(a) For the purposes of Sections 13A-5-2, 13A-5-6, 14-9-41, 15-18-8, 15-22-27.3, or any other section of the Code of Alabama 1975, a criminal sex offense involving a child shall mean a conviction for any sex offense in which the victim was a child under the age of 12 or any offen…

2026.] AMENDED BY ACT 2026-375, EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2026. SEE ACT FOR REVISED LANGUAGE. For the purposes of this chapter, a sex offense includes any of the following offenses: (1) Rape in the first degree, as provided by Section 13A-6-61. (2) Rape in the second degree, as provid…

until October 1, 2026.] AMENDED BY ACT 2026-375, EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2026. SEE ACT FOR REVISED LANGUAGE. (a)(1) The indictment, count in the indictment, information, complaint or warrant charging the offense may include a specification of sexual motivation or the prosecuting att…

(a) The following registration information, unless otherwise indicated, shall be provided by the sex offender when registering: (1) Name, including any aliases, nicknames, ethnic, or tribal names. (2) Date of birth. (3) Social Security number. (4) Address of each residence. (5) N…

(a) All of the following registration information shall be provided on the public registry website maintained by the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency and may be provided on any community notification documents: (1) Name, including any aliases, nicknames, ethnic, or Tribal nam…

(a) At least 30 days prior to release, or immediately upon notice of release if release is less than 30 days, of an adult sex offender from the county jail, municipal jail, Department of Corrections, or any other facility that has incarcerated the adult sex offender, or immediate…

Any person who is imprisoned or restrained of his liberty in the State of Alabama on any criminal charge or accusation or under any other pretense whatever, except persons committed or detained by virtue of process issued by a court of the United States or by a judge thereof in c…

Presumed Addressed to Recipient. A writ of habeas corpus must not be disobeyed on account of any want of form or any misdescription of the person to whom it is addressed, and it must be presumed to have been addressed to the person on whom it is served, notwithstanding any mistak…

If it appears from the petition for a writ of habeas corpus or from the documents thereunto annexed that the party is imprisoned or detained by virtue of any process under which any other person has an interest in continuing his imprisonment or restraint, the officer issuing the …

Criminal Charge; Bail Without Notice. If it appears from the petition for a writ of habeas corpus or from the documents thereunto annexed that the party is imprisoned and detained on any criminal charge or accusation, the officer issuing the writ must endorse thereon an order req…

(a) At the time of issuing a writ of habeas corpus or at any time afterward before the hearing, the officer issuing the writ must, on a proper showing, issue a precept directed to any sheriff or constable of the state, commanding him to have the body of the person who is imprison…

(a) On the application of either party, subpoenas for witnesses must be issued at any time before the hearing on a writ of habeas corpus by the clerk of the circuit court of the county to which the writ is returnable. (b) Such subpoenas must be directed to the sheriff or any cons…

A writ of habeas corpus must be served by the sheriff, deputy sheriff or some constable of the county in which it is issued or in which the person on whose behalf it issued out is imprisoned or detained, by delivering a copy to the person to whom it is directed and showing the or…

(a) After due service thereof, the person to whom a writ of habeas corpus is directed must make his return on the day therein specified if practicable; and, if no day is specified therein and the place to which the return is to be made is not more than 30 miles from the place whe…

Return; Exception. At the time of making the return, one must also produce the person on whose behalf the writ of habeas corpus was sued out, according to the command of the writ, and the original warrant, writ or other written authority under which he was detained; but, if from …

Infirmity. When the party on whose behalf a writ of habeas corpus is sued out is not produced on account of sickness or infirmity, the court or judge before whom the writ is returnable may proceed to decide on the return as if the party had been produced if satisfied of such sick…

Enter into Undertaking to Keep the Peace. Any person confined in jail for failing to enter into an undertaking to keep the peace may prosecute a writ of habeas corpus as provided in this chapter; but such writ can be heard only by a judge of the circuit court, who may discharge t…

Disposition of Detainee on Adjournment of Examination; Forfeiture of Bail. (a) The party on whose behalf a writ of habeas corpus is sued out may deny any of the facts stated in the return and allege any other facts which may be material in the case. (b) In a summary way, the cour…