2006 Louisiana Laws - RS 15:560.2 — Louisiana sex offender assessment panel

§560.2.  Louisiana Sex Offender Assessment Panel

A.  The Louisiana Sex Offender Assessment Panel is hereby created within the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.  The secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections may create not more than three sex offender assessment panels for purposes of implementing the provisions of this Chapter.

B.  Each panel shall consist of six members in accordance with the following provisions:

(1)  One member shall be a psychologist licensed by the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists who has been engaged in the practice of clinical or counseling psychology for not less than three consecutive years immediately preceding his selection and who is qualified by training or experience in forensic evaluations of sex offenders.  This member shall be selected, on a rotating basis, from a pool of nine psychologists authorized and approved by the secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.  A list of qualified psychologists shall be provided to the secretary by the Louisiana State Board of Examiners of Psychologists.

(2)  One member shall be a physician who is licensed to practice medicine in Louisiana, who has been in the actual practice of medicine for not less than three consecutive years immediately preceding his selection, and who is qualified by training or experience in forensic evaluations of sex offenders.  A list of qualified physicians shall be provided to the secretary by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners.

(3)  One member shall be the warden, or in his absence the deputy warden, of the institution where the offender is incarcerated.

(4)  One member shall be the secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections or his designee who shall be chairman.

(5)  A probation or parole officer with a minimum of ten years experience who shall be appointed by the governor.

(6)  A retired law enforcement officer with at least five years experience in investigating sex offenses.

C.  A majority of the members of each panel shall constitute a quorum.  All official actions of the panel shall require the affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the panel.

D.  Members, other than the secretary, warden, their designees, physicians, or psychologists who are employees of the department, may receive a per diem for each day spent in actual attendance of meetings of the panel.  The amount of the per diem shall be fixed by the secretary in an amount not to exceed forty dollars per hour.  Members may also receive a mileage allowance for mileage traveled in attending meetings.  The mileage allowance shall be fixed by the panel in an amount not to exceed the mileage rate for state employees.

E.  Each panel shall meet at least once quarterly and upon the call of each chairman or upon the request of any three members.

F.  The panels shall review, notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 15:574.12, presentence reports, prison records, medical and psychological records, information and data gathered by the staffs of the Board of Pardons and the Board of Parole, information provided by the convicted person, the district attorney, and the assistant district attorney, and any other information obtained by the boards or the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.

G.  The panel shall have the duty to evaluate every offender who has been convicted of a sex offense as defined in R.S. 15:541(14.1) and who is to be released from  the custody of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections on an order of the Board of Parole or the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, office of adult services, or upon expiration of his sentence to determine if he is a sexually violent predator or a child sexual predator in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 15:560.1.

H.  The panel shall meet and evaluate each sex offender at least six months prior to the release date of the offender.

Acts 2006, No. 186, §2, eff. June 2, 2006.