Sex Offender Registration & Community Notifcation

Enacted in 1996, Megan's Law is named after seven-year-old Megan Kanka of New Jersey who was raped and murdered by a known child molester living just across the street from her family. In the wake of her tragic death, Megan's family advocated for federal legislation to increase public information about convicted sex offenders. Megan's Law authorizes local law enforcement to notify the public about high-risk and serious sex offenders who may live, work or frequent a particular area of a community. The law has two components - sex offender registration and community notification. The law is intended to give the community access to information and take necessary precautions; it is not intended to punish, harass or commit crimes against convicted sex offenders.

Megan's Law was strengthed with the passage of the Adam Walsh Child Protection Act

The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act[2] is a federal statute that was signed into law by U.S. President George W. Bush on July 27, 2006. The Walsh Act organizes sex offenders into three tiers and mandates that Tier 3 offenders (the most serious tier) update their whereabouts every three months with lifetime registration requirements. Tier 2 offenders must update their whereabouts every six months with 25 years of registration, and Tier 1 offenders must update their whereabouts every year with 15 years of registration. Failure to register and update information is a felony under the law.