Arkansas Code of 1987 (2023) › Title 12 - LAW ENFORCEMENT, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, AND MILITARY AFFAIRS (§§ 12-1-101 — 12-88-109) › Subtitle 2 - LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND PROGRAMS (§§ 12-6-101 — 12-20-301) › Chapter 12 - CRIME REPORTING AND INVESTIGATIONS (§§ 12-12-101 — 12-12-1906) › Subchapter 9 - SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION ACT OF 1997 (§§ 12-12-901 — 12-12-930) › Section 12-12-903 - Definitions

As used in this subchapter:
(1)
"Adjudication of guilt" or other words of similar import mean a:
(A)
Plea of guilty;
(B)
Plea of nolo contendere;
(C)
Negotiated plea;
(D)
Finding of guilt by a judge; or
(E)
Finding of guilt by a jury;
(2)
(A)
"Administration of criminal justice" means performing functions of investigation, apprehension, detention, prosecution, adjudication, correctional supervision, or rehabilitation of accused persons or criminal offenders.
(B)
"Administration of criminal justice" also includes criminal identification activities and the collection, maintenance, and dissemination of criminal justice information;
(3)
"Aggravated sex offense" means an offense in the Arkansas Code substantially equivalent to "aggravated sexual abuse" as defined in
18 U.S.C. § 2241
as it existed on March 1, 2003, which principally encompasses:
(A)
Causing another person to engage in a sexual act:
(i)
By using force against that other person; or
(ii)
By threatening or placing or attempting to threaten or place that other person in fear that any person will be subjected to death, serious bodily injury, or kidnapping;
(B)
Knowingly:
(i)
Rendering another person unconscious and then engaging in a sexual act with that other person; or
(ii)
Administering to another person by force or threat of force, or without the knowledge or permission of that person, a drug, intoxicant, or similar substance and thereby:
(a)
Substantially impairing the ability of that other person to appraise or control conduct; and
(b)
Engaging or attempting to engage in a sexual act with that other person; or
(C)
Crossing a state line with intent to:
(i)
Engage or attempt to engage in a sexual act with a person who has not attained twelve (12) years of age;
(ii)
Knowingly engage or attempt to engage in a sexual act with another person who has not attained twelve (12) years of age; or
(iii)
Knowingly engage or attempt to engage in a sexual act under the circumstances described in subdivisions (3)(A) and (B) of this section with another person who has attained twelve (12) years of age but has not attained sixteen (16) years of age and is at least four (4) years younger than the alleged offender;
(4)
"Change of address" or other words of similar import mean a change of residence or a change for more than thirty (30) days of temporary domicile, change of location of employment, education or training, or any other change that alters where a sex offender regularly spends a substantial amount of time;
(5)
"Criminal justice agency" means a government agency or any subunit thereof which is authorized by law to perform the administration of criminal justice and which allocates more than one-half (1/2) of its annual budget to the administration of criminal justice;
(6)
"Local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction" means the:
(A)
Chief law enforcement officer of the municipality in which a sex offender:
(i)
Resides or expects to reside;
(ii)
Is employed; or
(iii)
Is attending an institution of training or education; or
(B)
County sheriff, if:
(i)
The municipality does not have a chief law enforcement officer; or
(ii)
A sex offender resides or expects to reside, is employed, or is attending an institution of training or education in an unincorporated area of a county;
(7)
"Mental abnormality" means a congenital or acquired condition of a person that affects the emotional or volitional capacity of the person in a manner that predisposes that person to the commission of criminally sexual acts to a degree that makes the person a menace to the health and safety of other persons;
(8)
"Personality disorder" means an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that:
(A)
Deviates markedly from the expectation of the person's culture;
(B)
Is pervasive and inflexible across a broad range of personal and social situations;
(C)
Leads to clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning;
(D)
Is stable over time;
(E)
Has its onset in adolescence or early adulthood;
(F)
Is not better accounted for as a manifestation or consequence of another mental disorder; and
(G)
Is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance or a general medical condition;
(9)
"Predatory" describes an act directed at a stranger or a person with whom a relationship has been established or promoted for the primary purpose of victimization of that person or individuals over whom that person has control;
(10)
(A)
"Residency" means the place where a person lives notwithstanding that there may be an intent to move or return at some future date to another place.
(B)
"Residency" also includes:
(i)
A place of employment;
(ii)
A place of training;
(iii)
A place of education; or
(iv)
A temporary residence or domicile in which a person resides for an aggregate of five (5) or more consecutive days during a calendar year;
(11)
"Sentencing court" means the judge of the court that sentenced the sex offender for the sex offense;
(12)
(A)
"Sex offender" means a person who is adjudicated guilty of a sex offense or acquitted on the grounds of mental disease or defect of a sex offense.
(B)
Unless otherwise specified, "sex offender" includes those individuals classified by the court as a sexually dangerous person;
(13)
(A)
"Sex offense" includes, but is not limited to:
(i)
The following offenses:
(a)
Rape, §
5-14-103
;
(b)
Sexual indecency with a child, §
5-14-110
, if the offense is a felony;
(c)
Sexual assault in the first degree, §
5-14-124
;
(d)
Sexual assault in the second degree, §
5-14-125
;
(e)
Sexual assault in the third degree, §
5-14-126
;
(f)
Sexual assault in the fourth degree, §
5-14-127
;
(g)
Incest, §
5-26-202
;
(h)
Engaging children in sexually explicit conduct for use in visual or print medium, §
5-27-303
;
(i)
Transportation of minors for prohibited sexual conduct, §
5-27-305
;
(j)
Employing or consenting to the use of a child in a sexual performance, §
5-27-402
;
(k)
Pandering or possessing visual or print medium depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child, §
5-27-304
;
(l)
Producing, directing, or promoting a sexual performance by a child, §
5-27-403
;
(m)
Promoting prostitution in the first degree, §
5-70-104
;
(n)
Stalking, §
5-71-229
, when ordered by the sentencing court to register as a sex offender;
(o)
Indecent exposure, §
5-14-112
, if a felony level offense;
(p)
Exposing another person to human immunodeficiency virus, §
5-14-123
, when ordered by the sentencing court to register as a sex offender;
(q)
Kidnapping pursuant to §
5-11-102(a)
, when the victim is a minor and the offender is not the parent of the victim;
(r)
False imprisonment in the first degree and false imprisonment in the second degree, §§
5-11-103
and
5-11-104
, when the victim is a minor and the offender is not the parent of the victim;
(s)
Permitting abuse of a minor, §
5-27-221
, if the abuse of the minor consisted of sexual intercourse, deviant sexual activity, or sexual contact;
(t)
Possession or use of child sexual abuse material, §
5-27-603
;
(u)
Computer exploitation of a child, §
5-27-605
;
(v)
Permanent detention or restraint, §
5-11-106
, when the offender is not the parent of the victim;
(w)
Distributing, possessing, or viewing of matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child, §
5-27-602
;
(x)
Internet stalking of a child, §
5-27-306
;
(y)
Crime of video voyeurism, §
5-16-101
, if a felony level offense;
(z)
Voyeurism, §
5-16-102
, if a felony level offense;
(aa)
Any felony-homicide offense under §
5-10-101
, §
5-10-102
, or §
5-10-104
if the underlying felony is an offense listed in this subdivision (13)(A)(i);
(bb)
Sexually grooming a child, §
5-27-307
;
(cc)
Trafficking of persons under §
5-18-103(a)(4)
;
(dd)
Patronizing a victim of human trafficking, §
5-18-104
; and
(ee)
Sexual extortion, §
5-14-113
;
(ii)
An attempt, solicitation, or conspiracy to commit any of the offenses enumerated in subdivision (13)(A)(i) of this section;
(iii)
An adjudication of guilt for an offense of the law of another state:
(a)
Which is similar to any of the offenses enumerated in subdivision (13)(A)(i) of this section; or
(b)
When that adjudication of guilt requires registration under another state's sex offender registration laws;
(iv)
A violation of any former law of this state that is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses enumerated in this subdivision (13)(A);
(v)
An adjudication of guilt for an offense in any federal court, the District of Columbia, a United States territory, a federally recognized Indian tribe, or for a military offense:
(a)
Which is similar to any of the offenses enumerated in subdivision (13)(A)(i) of this section;
(b)
When the adjudication of guilt requires registration under sex offender registration laws of another state or jurisdiction; or
(c)
If the conviction was for a violation of:
(1)
18 U.S.C. § 2252C
;
(2)
18 U.S.C. § 2424
; or
(3)
18 U.S.C. § 2425
; or
(vi)
An adjudication of guilt for an offense requiring registration under the laws of Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, or any other foreign country where an independent judiciary enforces a right to a fair trial during the year in which the conviction occurred.
(B)
(i)
The sentencing court has the authority to order the registration of any offender shown in court to have attempted to commit or to have committed a sex offense even though the offense is not enumerated in subdivision (13)(A)(i) of this section.
(ii)
This authority applies to sex offenses enacted, renamed, or amended at a later date by the General Assembly unless the General Assembly expresses its intent not to consider the offense to be a true sex offense for the purposes of this subchapter;
(14)
(A)
"Sexually dangerous person" means a person who has been adjudicated guilty or acquitted on the grounds of mental disease or defect of a sexually violent offense and who suffers from a mental abnormality or personality disorder that makes the person likely to engage in predatory sexually violent offenses.
(B)
A person previously classified as a sexually violent predator is now considered a sexually dangerous person;
(15)
"Sexually violent offense" means any state, federal, tribal, or military offense which includes a sexual act as defined in
18 U.S.C. §§ 2241
and
2242
as they existed on March 1, 2003, with another person if the offense is nonconsensual regardless of the age of the victim;
(16)
(A)
"Social media account" means a personal account with an electronic medium or service in which a user may create, share, or access user-generated content, including without limitation:
(i)
A video;
(ii)
A photograph;
(iii)
A blog post;
(iv)
A podcast;
(v)
A transmission or message; or
(vi)
An email.
(B)
"Social media account" includes without limitation an account established with:
(i)
Facebook;
(ii)
Twitter;
(iii)
LinkedIn;
(iv)
MySpace;
(v)
Instagram;
(vi)
Snapchat;
(vii)
YouTube; or
(viii)
Any other similar format, program, application, or internet service; and
(17)
"Social media account information" means information concerning a social media account, including without limitation:
(A)
A screen name;
(B)
A user identification; or
(C)
A user name.
Amended by Act 2023, No. 619,§ 14, eff. 8/1/2023.
Amended by Act 2023, No. 21,§ 8, eff. 8/1/2023.
Amended by Act 2017, No. 916,§ 1, eff. 8/1/2017.
Amended by Act 2017, No. 664,§ 7, eff. 8/1/2017.
Amended by Act 2015, No. 1285,§ 1, eff. 7/22/2015.
Amended by Act 2015, No. 357,§ 1, eff. 7/22/2015.
Amended by Act 2013, No. 1114,§ 3, eff. 8/16/2013.
Amended by Act 2013, No. 508,§ 1, eff. 8/16/2013.
Amended by Act 2013, No. 505,§ 2, eff. 8/16/2013.
Amended by Act 2013, No. 505,§ 1, eff. 8/16/2013.
Amended by Act 2013, No. 172,§ 1, eff. 8/16/2013.
Acts 1997, No. 989, § 3; 1999, No. 1353, § 1; 2001, No. 1496, § 3; 2001, No. 1743, § 2; 2003, No. 1390, § 4; 2003 (2nd Ex. Sess.), No. 21, §§ 1-3; 2007, No. 210, § 1; 2007, No. 394, § 2; 2009, No. 165, § 6.