§15-20A-40. Public records - Certified copies of adjudication or convction.

(a) It is the intent of the Legislature that a duplicate of a certified copy of a public record be admissible and is not dependent on the original custodian of record to gain admissibility. Further, the Legislature finds that the certification by the clerk of the court and the certification by the Department of Public Safety assures reliability and trustworthiness.

(b) The clerk of the court shall forward a certified copy of a sex offender's adjudication or conviction to the Department of Public Safety within 30 days of sentencing of any of the offenses listed in Section 15-20A-5.

(c) Any state, county, or municipal law enforcement agency, the Attorney General, or a district attorney may request a duplicate of the sex offender's adjudication or conviction from the Department of Public Safety.

(d) Upon the request of any of the agencies listed in subsection (c), the custodian of records, or its designee, of the Department of Public Safety shall immediately certify all of the following:

(1) That the Department of Public Safety received the certified copy of the sex offender's conviction or adjudication from the clerk of the court pursuant to subsection (b).

(2) That the original certified copy received from the clerk of the court remains in the possession of the Department of Public Safety.

(3) That no changes or alterations have been made to the original certified copy.

(e) Upon certification by the Department of Public Safety as provided in subsection (d), the Department of Public Safety shall immediately forward the certified documents to the requesting agency.

(f) Notwithstanding any other law or rule of evidence, a certified copy of the record of adjudication or conviction as defined in subsection (b), provided by the Department of Public Safety as provided in subsection (d), shall be proof of the sex offender's adjudication or conviction of a sex offense and shall be admissible into evidence, without further proof, in any court in this state.

(g) For the purpose of this section, the term conviction or adjudication shall mean a final conviction or adjudication, regardless of whether the conviction or adjudication is on appeal.

(h) Any clerk of a court, who fails to report any such conviction or adjudication in his or her court shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.

(Act 2011-640, p. 1569, §40.)