Court Opinion

ID: 9911578
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-12-20 15:07:39.104304+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:51:30.098848
License: Public Domain

RECORD IMPOUNDED

                               NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE
                              APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION
       This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court ." Although it is posted on the
    internet, this opinion is binding only on the parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited. R. 1:36-3.

                                                       SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY
                                                       APPELLATE DIVISION
                                                       DOCKET NO. A-3963-21

IN THE MATTER OF
REGISTRANT M.J.B. 1
____________________

                  Argued November 28, 2023 – Decided December 20, 2023

                  Before Judges Whipple, Mayer and Paganelli.

                  On appeal from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law
                  Division, Hudson County, Docket No. 11090069.

                  James H. Maynard argued the cause for appellant
                  M.J.B. (Maynard Law Office, LLC, attorneys; James H.
                  Maynard, on the briefs).

                  John R. Mulkeen, Assistant Prosecutor, argued the
                  cause for respondent State of New Jersey (Esther
                  Suarez, Hudson County Prosecutor, attorney; Angela
                  Halverson, Assistant Prosecutor, on the brief).

PER CURIAM

         Registrant M.J.B. appeals from an August 18, 2022 order denying his

motion to exclude his Registrant Risk Assessment Scale (RRAS) score in his re-

1
    We use initials pursuant to Rule 1:38-3(c)(9).
evaluation hearing and motion for a downward departure in his tier classification

under the "heartland" exception to Megan's Law, N.J.S.A. 2C:7-1 to -23. He

also challenges his classification as a Tier Two offender under Megan's Law and

community notification requirements.

      M.J.B. is a convicted sex offender.       The facts related to M.J.B.'s

convictions for two separate sexual assaults are recounted in In re Registrant

M.J.B., No. A-3054-12 (App. Div. Feb. 19, 2020) (Order at 2-4). We need not

repeat the facts.   In that Order and Determination, we affirmed M.J.B.'s

classification as a Tier Two offender,2 finding the Megan's Law judge properly

exercised his discretion in applying the RRAS factors. Id. at 8.

      In February 2020, M.J.B. changed his residential address and place of

employment, triggering a tier designation and community notification re-

evaluation. The State reviewed all of the available evidence and recalculated

M.J.B.'s RRAS score. The State determined M.J.B.'s revised RRAS score was

2
   The New Jersey Legislature delegated to the State's Attorney General the
authority to promulgate guidelines identifying factors relevant to assessing the
risk of re-offense under Megan's Law. N.J.S.A. 2C:7-8. Under this delegated
authority, the Legislature adopted the RRAS, which establishes three categories
of re-offense risk: low (thirty-six points or less), moderate (thirty-seven to
seventy-three points), and high (seventy-four points or greater). Ibid.

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fifty-two points,3 again placing him in the Tier Two category. M.J.B. objected

and requested judicial review of his tier designation. Additionally, M.J.B. filed

motions for a downward departure in his tier designation under the "heartland"

exception to Megan's Law and to exclude his RRAS scores from consideration

in calculating his risk of re-offending.

       The Megan's Law judge held hearings over the course of three non-

consecutive dates. During the N.J.R.E. 104 hearings, the judge heard testimony

regarding alternative methods for calculating a registrant's risk assessment.

M.J.B. presented expert testimony from a forensic psychologist, Dr. Sean

Hiscox, who explained M.J.B. had a low risk of re-offending. The expert further

opined the RRAS was an inappropriate method for evaluating offenders who had

not re-offended in five or more years. M.J.B. also presented testimony from two

fact witnesses associated with The Innocence Project in support of his good

character, steady employment, and stable home situation.

       On August 18, 2022, the judge denied M.J.B.'s motions and entered an

order classifying M.J.B. as a Tier Two offender with specific community

notification requirements.    In his accompanying August 18, 2022 written

decision, the judge recognized M.J.B.'s positive reintegration into society "by

3
    In 2013, M.J.B. scored sixty-six points on the RRAS.
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becoming involved in his community, investing in his personal relationships,

and obtaining and maintaining stable employment."

      The judge also considered M.J.B.'s three psychosexual evaluations: a

January 23, 1987 evaluation by Dr. Philip Witt; an August 3, 1987 evaluation

by Dr. Mark Frank; and Dr. Hiscox's evaluations in June and July 2020. The

judge noted Dr. Witt found M.J.B.'s conduct "neither repetitive nor compulsive."

In reviewing the conclusions rendered by Dr. Frank, the judge stated the doctor

found M.J.B. "extremely uncooperative and belligerent in the . . . evaluation"

and M.J.B.'s "conduct was repetitive based on the nature of his two convictions"

for sexual assault.   However, Dr. Frank was unable to determine whether

M.J.B.'s actions were motivated by "compulsive sexual pathology due to

[M.J.B.]'s lack of cooperation during his evaluation."

      The judge summarized the testimony and written reports proffered by Dr.

Hiscox. The judge explained Dr. Hiscox relied on "a number of actuarial risk

assessment tools in [his] report, including the Personality Assessment Inventory

(PAI), the Static 99[R], the Stable-2007, the Acute-2007, and the RRAS." In

using these actuarial tools, Dr. Hiscox "scored [M.J.B.] as below-average risk

on the Static99[R] and low risk on the Stable-2007 and Acute-2007." When Dr.

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Hiscox used the RRAS, he calculated M.J.B. scored forty-three points, which

placed M.J.B. "at the low end of the moderate-risk range on that scale."

      The judge further explained Dr. Hiscox calculated M.J.B.'s recidivism rate

at two and a half percent, "just above the desistence level [less than two percent

after five years]." Dr. Hiscox testified the desistence level is the rate at which

a sex-offender is no more likely to commit a new sex offense than an individual

with a criminal history who committed no sexual offenses. In concluding M.J.B.

was low-risk for re-offense, Dr. Hiscox testified the research showed M.J.B.'s

age, mid-fifties, indicated the sexual offense rate was "very low." In his written

report, Dr. Hiscox stated that "[f]or offenders over [sixty], recidivism is a rare

event." However, as of the hearing dates, M.J.B. was not over age sixty and,

therefore, not within the age group that Dr. Hiscox claimed presented the lowest

risk of re-offense. Additionally, as of the hearing dates, M.J.B. remained above

the two percent desistence level for determining the rate of recidivism.

      The judge also considered the character testimony presented on M.J.B.'s

behalf. While the judge found the testimony credible, he noted the character

testimony "was limited in nature" and based on the witnesses' "interactions with

[M.J.B.] in a professional and/or quasi-professional setting" and "[n]othing in

the record support[ed] either [character witness] having interacted with [M.J.B.]

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                                        5
in more personal circumstances." As a result, the judge found "an incomplete

picture of [M.J.B.]'s post-incarceration adjustment."

      In rendering his legal conclusions, the judge relied on existing case law in

rejecting M.J.B.'s broad challenge to the general use of the RRAS for tier

classification. The judge explained the use of the RRAS for tiering Megan's

Law registrants had been upheld by courts in this State since 1996. Additionally,

the judge noted "[t]he RRAS is unique from other risk assessment instru ments

in that it contains a legal element that is not present in the alternative tools

suggested by [Dr. Hiscox]."

      Additionally, because the RRAS was created as part of a legislative

mandate, the judge explained he owed deference to that mandate. Further, the

judge did not find M.J.B.'s expert presented sufficiently reliable studies or data

relied upon by other professionals who evaluated, treated, and assessed the risk

of sexual re-offense in situations similar to M.J.B.'s circumstances. Therefore,

the judge concluded, "[t]he alternative score proposed by [M.J.B.]'s expert [was]

unsupported by the record." Based on the foregoing, the judge found he was

"not at liberty to overturn legal precedent requiring [the court] to consider and

give deference to the RRAS as a legal instrument. Thus, the RRAS has been

considered as one factor of many in th[e] [c]ourt's tier classification of [M.J.B.]."

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      However, the judge agreed M.J.B. could challenge the RRAS as applied

in his case. M.J.B. claimed his case fell outside the "heartland" of cases,

justifying his challenge to the Tier Two designation and community notification

requirements. In re Registrant G.B., 147 N.J. 62, 85 (1996). In seeking a

"heartland" exception, a registrant is required to "establish that the [RRAS]

score for that [particular] registrant does not accurately reflect the risk of

re-offense." Id. at 82. However, citing G.B., the judge explained "[s]uch cases

are rare, and the facts must be 'sufficiently unusual' to be considered outside the

heartland of Megan's Law cases."

      On this record, the judge concluded M.J.B. failed to present evidence

permitting a downward departure in his tier classification. The judge rejected

Dr. Hiscox's testimony regarding M.J.B.'s likelihood of recidivism.            The

information Dr. Hiscox claimed supported a downward adjustment was

inapplicable to M.J.B. because M.J.B. was not over age sixty and M.J.B.'s

recidivism rate remained above the desistence level.

      Considering the evidence and testimony presented during the hearings, the

judge found no evidence to "suggest[] that the particular facts of [M.J.B.]'s case

[were] so unique and unusual that it f[ell] outside the heartland of Megan's Law

cases." In rejecting the "heartland" exception, the judge noted M.J.B.

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     committed seemingly random, opportunistic, sexually
     violent, forceful attacks on women in his community.
     The fact that [M.J.B.] has lived offense-free in the
     community for a substantial period of time and
     otherwise appears to live a stable life is not so unusual
     as to warrant a downward departure in [M.J.B.]'s tier
     classification and scope of community notification.

On appeal, M.J.B. presents the following arguments:

     POINT I

     THE RRAS IS NEITHER RELIABLE NOR VALID
     FOR ASSESSING THE RISK OF SEX OFFENSE
     RECIDIVISM OR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE
     LIVED FIVE OR MORE YEARS, OFFENSE-FREE,
     IN THE COMMUNITY.

     A. Only Factors Relevant to Risk May Be Used to
     Classify Registrants into Risk Categories under
     Megan's Law.

     B. Risk Assessment Instruments Must Be Periodically
     Adjusted Over Time, Based on Evolving Research
     Regarding Which Factors Are Relevant to Sex Offense
     Recidivism Risk.

     C. The RRAS Is Not Relevant for Tiering of
     Registrants Who Have Lived Offense-Free in the
     Community for More than Five Years.

     D. An Alternative Assessment Methodology Exists
     that Is Both Reliable and Valid for Predicting Risk
     Among Five-Year+ Registrants.

     E. The Court Failed to Conduct the Proper Legal
     Analysis to Determine the Relevance, Reliability, and,

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                                8
            therefore, the Admissibility, of the RRAS for Use with
            Five-Year+ Registrants.

      POINT II

            M.J.B. HAS PROVIDED SUFFICIENT, VALID AND
            RELIABLE EVIDENCE IN SUPPORT OF AN
            OUTSIDE THE HEARTLAND TIER REDUCTION
            BASED ON HIS DEMONSTRABLY LOW RISK OF
            SEX OFFENSE RECIDIVISM.

            A. The Purpose of Megan's Law Cannot Be Fulfilled
            Absent Reliable Assessments of Current Risk.

            B. The Megan's Law Court Erred as [a] Matter of Law,
            and Abused Its Discretion in Denying M.J.B.'s "Outside
            the Heartland" Tier Reduction Motion.

      "We review a trial court's conclusions regarding a Megan's Law

registrant's tier designation and scope of community notification for an abuse of

discretion." In re Registrant B.B., 472 N.J. Super. 612, 619 (App. Div. 2022).

"[A]n abuse of discretion 'arises when a decision is made without a rational

explanation, inexplicably departed from established policies, or rested on an

impermissible basis.'" State v. R.Y., 242 N.J. 48, 65 (2020) (quoting Flagg v.

Essex Cnty. Prosecutor, 171 N.J. 561, 571 (2002)). "A trial court's interpretation

of the law and the . . . consequences that flow from established facts are not

entitled to any special deference." Manalapan Realty, L.P. v. Twp. Comm. of

Manalapan, 140 N.J. 366, 378 (1995).

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                                        9
      In a tier classification proceeding, the State bears the burden of proving

by clear and convincing evidence that the proposed tier classification and scope

of community notification for a particular registrant are warranted. See In re

Registrant M.F., 169 N.J. 45, 54 (2001); In re Registrant R.F., 317 N.J. Super.

379, 383-84 (App. Div. 1998), rev'd on other grounds, M.F., 169 N.J. at 63.

      Megan's Law "[t]ier designations reflect a registrant's risk of re-offense,

as determined by a judge assessing various information, including thirteen

factors referenced in the RRAS." In re Registrant C.J., 474 N.J. Super. 97, 106

(App. Div. 2022) (citing In re Registrant A.A., 461 N.J. Super. 385, 402 (App.

Div. 2019)). The RRAS was developed for the State's use "to establish its prima

facie case concerning a registrant's tier classification and manner of

notification." In re Registrant T.T., 188 N.J. 321, 328 (2006) (quoting In re

Registrant C.A., 146 N.J. 71, 110 (1996)).

      "Although a tier classification made on the basis of the [RRAS] should be

afforded deference, a court should not rely solely on a registrant's point total

when it conducts a judicial review of a prosecutor's tier level classification or

manner of notification decisions."         C.A., 146 N.J. at 108.       "Judicial

determinations regarding tier classification and community notification are

made 'on a case-by-case basis within the discretion of the court[]' and 'based on

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all of the evidence available[,]' not simply by following the 'numerical

calculation provided by the [RRAS].'" C.J., 474 N.J. Super. at 120 (alterations

in original) (quoting G.B., 147 N.J. at 78-79).

      Because the State is responsible for initiating the tier classification

process, the Supreme Court "prescribed a two-step procedure for evidence

production." C.A., 146 N.J. at 83. "In the first step, the prosecutor has the

burden of going forward with prima facie evidence that 'justifies the proposed

level and manner of notification.'" Ibid. (quoting Doe v. Poritz, 142 N.J. 1, 32

(1995)). "In the second step, assuming the prosecutor's burden is met, the

registrant then has the burden of producing evidence challenging the

prosecutor's determinations on both issues." Id. at 83-84 (citing Doe, 142 N.J.

at 32). "Once the State has satisfied its burden of going forward, the court 'shall

affirm the prosecutor's determination unless it is persuaded by a preponderance

of the evidence that it does not conform to the laws and Guidelines[,]'" based

upon the court's independent review of the case and its merits. Id. at 84 (quoting

Doe, 142 N.J. at 32).

      In addressing a registrant's classification, a judge is free to consider

reliable evidence beyond the RRAS score, even if such evidence would not be

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admissible under our Rules of Evidence, because the "hearing process . . . is not

governed by the [R]ules of [E]vidence." Id. at 83 (internal citation omitted).

      As our Supreme Court stated, the RRAS "is presumptively accurate and is

to be afforded substantial weight—indeed it will even have [a] binding effect—

unless and until a registrant 'presents subjective criteria that would support a

court not relying on the tier classification recommended by the [RRAS].'" G.B.,

147 N.J. at 81 (quoting C.A., 146 N.J. at 109). Deference is given to the RRAS,

and "[o]nly in the unusual case where relevant, material, and reliable facts exist

for which the [RRAS] does not account, or does not adequately account, should

the [RRAS] score be questioned." Id. at 82.

      As we stated in In re Registrant J.G., "[c]hallenges to the [RRAS] itself,

or challenges to the weight afforded to any of the individual factors that

comprise the [RRAS], are not permitted." 463 N.J. Super. 263, 276 (App. Div.

2020) (all but first alteration in original) (quoting G.B., 147 N.J. at 85). In J.G.,

we held challenges to the RRAS might be permitted if "based on empirical

studies or data developed since 1996." Ibid.

      In most challenges to a registrant's RRAS score or the scope of community

notification, "expert testimony will be neither necessary nor helpful." G.B., 147

N.J. at 85.   However, "in limited circumstances, expert testimony may be

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introduced . . . to establish the existence of unique aspects of a registrant's

offense or character that render the [RRAS] score suspect." Id. at 69. The trial

court has "the ultimate authority to decide what weight to attach to the [RRAS]

and what weight to attach to expert testimony." Id. at 85. That is because "[t]he

final determination of dangerousness lies with the courts, not the expert ise of

psychiatrists and psychologists." Id. at 86 (quoting In re D.C., 146 N.J. 31, 59

(1996)).

      Applying these standards, we are satisfied the Megan's Law judge

thoroughly reviewed the evidence, testimony, and legal arguments in finding the

State established, by clear and convincing evidence, M.J.B.'s RRAS score of

fifty-two points supported M.J.B.'s designation as a Tier Two offender and

ascribed appropriate community notification requirements.4 We are satisfied

there were no unique circumstances warranting a downward adjustment of

M.J.B.'s tier designation under Megan's Law "heartland" exception. Reviewing

the record as a whole, we discern no abuse of discretion in the judge's tier

designation and community notification requirements.

      Additionally, we note that we are not the Legislature. "We do not pass

4
  Even Dr. Hiscox calculated M.J.B.'s RRAS score at forty-three points, which
placed M.J.B. in the same Tier Two category as the State's RRAS calculation.
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                                      13
judgment on the wisdom of a law or render an opinion on whether it represents

sound social policy. That is the prerogative of our elected representatives."

Caviglia v. Royal Tours of Am., 178 N.J. 460, 476 (2004). Registrants should

direct requests for implementation of new judicial tools for determining Megan's

Law tier classifications to the New Jersey Legislature. In so doing, a registrant

would notify the New Jersey's Attorney General of their request to modify or

eliminate the current tool used for assessing the risk of sexual re-offense and

would have an opportunity to present evidence why the RRAS should, or should

not, be modified or eliminated.

      To the extent we have not addressed any of M.J.B.'s remaining arguments,

such arguments are without sufficient merit to warrant discussion in a written

opinion. R. 2:11-3(e)(2).

      Affirmed. The September 20, 2022 order of the New Jersey Supreme

Court, staying the August 18, 2022 order pending this court's disposition of

M.J.B.'s appeal, shall be dissolved within thirty days unless M.J.B. seeks a stay

from the New Jersey Supreme Court before the expiration of the thirty-day

period.

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