Campus Sex Crime Prevention Act

An employee includes  “an individual who is self‐employed or works for any other entity, whether compensated or not.” The term student means “an individual who enrolls in or attends an educational institution (whether public or private) … including an institution of higher education.” See 42 U.S.C. §§ 16913 & 16911.

The law requires higher education institutions to issue statements advising campus communities about where they can obtain law enforcement agency‐based, state‐provided information concerning registered sex offenders.

Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont

In Vermont convicted sex offenders must register with the Vermont Criminal Information Center, which is maintained by the Vermont Department of Public Safety. Any person requesting, in accordance with the law, information on specific offenders may obtain that information.

In 1996, with the passage of 13 VSA, Chapter 167, Subchapter 3, the Vermont Sex Offender Registry was established at the Vermont Crime Information Center (VCIC). You can contact the Vermont Criminal Information Center at http://vcic.vermont.gov/ or (802) 241‐5400.

According to the State of Vermont’s Department of Public Safety Crime Information Center, local law‐enforcement agencies and the Vermont Crime Information Center are authorized to release relevant registry information to the public when requestors can articulate a specific concern about their safety or the safety of another. State statute requires that the requestor provide the subject’s name as the basis for the query. Queries made to law enforcement agencies or VCIC may not be done by street address, town or county.

The registry information may also be disclosed to the following agencies, organizations, or persons:

• Local, state, and federal law‐enforcement agencies exclusively for law‐enforcement purposes;
• State and federal governmental agencies for the exclusive purpose of conducting confidential background checks;
• Any employer, including a school district, who is authorized by law to request records and information from the Vermont Crime Information Center where such disclosure is necessary to protect the public concerning persons required to register under this subchapter;
• A person identified as a sex offender in the registry for the purpose of reviewing the accuracy of any record relating to them.

The registry is prohibited from releasing lists of offenders in response to general questions regarding sex offenders’ whereabouts in particular communities. Victims’ identities shall not be released.

See Department of Public Safety Crime Information Center (which includes a link to the Vermont Sex Offender Public Website).