New Jersey Legislation: Megan's Law

New Jersey's Megan's Law requires local law enforcement agencies maintain a registry of convicted sex offenders living in their communities and provide notification to local organizations and households about the presence of registered sex offenders.

History

• New Jersey enacted Megan's Law in 1994. In 2001, Megan's Law was amended to require an Internet registry of sex offenders in addition to the registration and notification requirements. The New Jersey Internet sex offender registry can be accessed and searched by the public.

Registration

• Convicted sex offenders or those who have been found not guilty of a sexual offense by reason of insanity must register with their local New Jersey police department in compliance with Megan's Law.

Notification

• After a sex offender registers with his local police department, the county prosecutor will evaluate the registrant's criminal history to determine whether the community should be notified about the registrant's presence. If the prosecutor determines the registrant's risk of re-offending is moderate, the prosecutor must require notification of community organizations that will likely come in contact with the registrant. If the registrant is deemed to have a high-risk of re-offending, households in the community must be personally notified of the registrant's presence by local law enforcement officials.