I. A sexual offender or offender against children who is required to register under this chapter and who negligently fails to comply with the requirements of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
II. A sexual offender or offender against children who is required to register under this chapter and who knowingly fails to comply with the requirements of this chapter shall be guilty of a class B felony. An offender who is required to register for a period of 10 years following his or her release, pursuant to N.H. Rev. Stat. § 651-B:6, II, shall be required to register for an additional 10 years from the date of conviction for violating this paragraph. The obligation to register for an additional 10 years from the date of conviction for violating this paragraph shall be consecutive to the registration period imposed pursuant to N.H. Rev. Stat. § 651-B:6 and shall be imposed even if the original registration period has elapsed.

Attorney's Note

Under the New Hampshire Revised Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class A felonyup to 15 yearsup to $4,000
Class B felonyup to 7 yearsup to $4,000
Class A misdemeanorup to 1 yearup to $2,000
For details, see N.H. Rev. Stat. 651:2

Terms Used In New Hampshire Revised Statutes 651-B:9

  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • following: when used by way of reference to any section of these laws, shall mean the section next preceding or following that in which such reference is made, unless some other is expressly designated. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 21:13
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • person: may extend and be applied to bodies corporate and politic as well as to individuals. See New Hampshire Revised Statutes 21:9

III. A sexual offender or offender against children previously convicted pursuant to paragraph II who is required to register under this chapter and who knowingly fails to comply with the requirements of this chapter shall be guilty of a class A felony. An offender who is required to register for a period of 10 years following his or her release, pursuant to N.H. Rev. Stat. § 651-B:6, II, who is convicted for violating this paragraph shall be required to register for life.
IV. The penalties imposed under paragraphs I-III shall not apply to juveniles required to register pursuant to N.H. Rev. Stat. § 651-B:1, XI(a)(3) or (4). The court with jurisdiction over such juveniles may impose an appropriate disposition for a violation of this section.
V. Any person who violates the provisions of N.H. Rev. Stat. § 651-B:7 shall be guilty of a violation.
VI. A sexual offender or offender against children who knowingly provides false information in response to any of the requirements of this chapter shall be guilty of a class B felony.
VII. A person is guilty of a class B felony if the person has reason to believe that a sexual offender or offender against children is not complying, or has not complied, with the requirements of this chapter and who purposely assists the offender in eluding any law enforcement agency that is seeking to find the offender to question the offender about, or to arrest the offender for, his or her noncompliance with the requirements of this chapter, and engages in any of the following acts or omissions:
(a) Withholds information from, or does not notify, the law enforcement agency about the offender’s noncompliance with the requirements of this chapter, and, if known, the whereabouts of the offender;
(b) Harbors, or attempts to harbor, or assists another person in harboring or attempting to harbor, the offender;
(c) Conceals or attempts to conceal, or assists another person in concealing or attempting to conceal, the offender;
(d) Provides information to the law enforcement agency regarding the offender which the person knows to be false information; or
(e) Warns the offender that the law enforcement agency is attempting to locate the offender.
VIII. (a) Except as provided in subparagraph (b), any sexual offender or offender against children who is required to register under this chapter who is convicted of aggravated felonious sexual assault pursuant to N.H. Rev. Stat. § 632-A:2, or felonious sexual assault pursuant to N.H. Rev. Stat. § 632-A:3, or sexual assault pursuant to N.H. Rev. Stat. § 632-A:4, and who initiates contact with the victim of the offense at any time shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor. In this paragraph, “contact” means any action to communicate with the victim either directly or indirectly, including, but not limited to, using any form of electronic communication, leaving items, or causing another to communicate in such fashion.
(b) Subparagraph (a) shall not apply to contact between a sexual offender or an offender against children and a victim where there is an ongoing relationship between the victim and the offender that existed prior to the commission of the offense and that necessitates contact between them, such as the shared custody of a child or an emergency involving a shared sibling or parent, provided that any contact by the offender shall be strictly limited to the immediate issue that needs to be communicated.