Opinion ID: 2633256
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Heading: Mandatory Lifetime Registration Under Section 290

Text: Section 290 requires anyone convicted of certain sex offenses to register for life as a sex offender. It provides: Every person described in paragraph (2), for the rest of his or her life while residing in . . . California . . ., shall be required to register. (§ 290, subd. (a)(1)(A).) Paragraph (2) lists 37 Penal Code sections and subdivisions, including section 288a (oral copulation with a minor), but not section 261.5 (unlawful intercourse with a minor). `The purpose of section 290 is to assure that persons convicted of the crimes enumerated therein shall be readily available for police surveillance at all times because the Legislature deemed them likely to commit similar offenses in the future. [Citation.]' ( In re Alva, supra, 33 Cal.4th at p. 264, 14 Cal.Rptr.3d 811, 92 P.3d 311; quoting Wright v. Superior Court (1997) 15 Cal.4th 521, 527, 63 Cal.Rptr.2d 322, 936 P.2d 101; People v. Barker (2004) 34 Cal.4th 345, 357, 18 Cal.Rptr.3d 260, 96 P.3d 507.) In recent years, section 290 registration has acquired a second purpose: to notify members of the public of the existence and location of sex offenders so they can take protective measures. (See Stats.1996, ch. 908, § 1, subd. (b), p. 5105.) Registration must be renewed annually within five working days of the sex offender's birthday. (§ 290, subd. (a)(1)(D); see People v. Smith (2004) 32 Cal.4th 792, 11 Cal.Rptr.3d 290, 86 P.3d 348; People v. Carmony (2005) 127 Cal.App.4th 1066, 1077, 26 Cal.Rptr.3d 365.) Failure to register, or to renew registration, can be either a felony or a misdemeanor, depending on the nature of the underlying conviction. (§ 290, subds. (g)(1) & (2).) The duty to register as a sex offender under section 290, subdivision (a), cannot be avoided through a plea bargain ( People v. McClellan (1993) 6 Cal.4th 367, 24 Cal.Rptr.2d 739, 862 P.2d 739) or through the exercise of judicial discretion. Moreover, although a defendant convicted of oral copulation with a minor under section 288a (b)(1) may be eligible for a certificate of rehabilitation under section 4852.01 after completing his sentence, that certificate will not relieve the defendant of the lifetime registration requirement. ( In re Alva, supra, 33 Cal.4th at p. 265, fn. 4, 14 Cal.Rptr.3d 811, 92 P.3d 311.) Although sex offender registration is not considered a form of punishment under the state or federal Constitution ( In re Alva, supra, 33 Cal.4th at p. 268, 14 Cal.Rptr.3d 811, 92 P.3d 311; People v. Castellanos (1999) 21 Cal.4th 785, 796, 88 Cal.Rptr.2d 346, 982 P.2d 211 (lead opn. of George, C.J.)), it imposes a substantial and onerous burden ( People v. Castellanos, supra, 21 Cal.4th 785, 796, 88 Cal.Rptr.2d 346, 982 P.2d 211 (lead opn. of George, C.J.); see In re Birch (1973) 10 Cal.3d 314, 321-322, 110 Cal.Rptr. 212, 515 P.2d 12). If, as in this case, a person is convicted of a felony violation of section 288a, the California Department of Justice will furnish the registrant's name and ZIP code to inquiring members of the public. (§ 290.4, subd. (a).) When it becomes publicly known that a person is a registered sex offender, the person may be at risk of losing employment, and may have difficulty finding a place to live. (See Doe v. Miller (8th Cir.2005) 405 F.3d 700; E.B. v. Verniero (3d Cir.1997) 119 F.3d 1077, 1089-1090; State v. Myers (1996) 260 Kan. 669, 923 P.2d 1024, 1041; Center for Sex Offender Management, Community Notification and Education (2001), pp. 14-15.)