Background Information on Megan’s Law

[The following information is taken from the Megan Nicole Kanka Foundation, at
http://www.megannicolekankafoundation.org/mission.htm, an organization that
promotes legislative action regarding sex offenders.]

Every parent should have the right to know if a dangerous sexual predator moves into
their neighborhood. That is why Richard and Maureen Kanka made it their lives' mission
to see the enactment of Megan's Law in every state.

The Megan Nicole Kanka Foundation is a 501 c 3 non-profit, charitable organization

founded by the Kanka family. The foundation wants to ensure that every possible step is
taken to help prevent the future victimization of children. It is their hope and dream that
no other child anywhere will suffer the fate of Megan Kanka.

OUR MISSION

Richard and Maureen Kanka thought that their daughter Megan was safe. The Kankas
had lived for fifteen years in quiet, suburban Hamilton Township, New Jersey. A family
of five, they worked hard, paid their taxes, believed in God, charity, and the goodness of
others.

On July 29, 1994, Richard and Maureen had their lives shattered when their 7-year old
daughter Megan was lured into a neighbor's home with the hopes of seeing his puppy.
Shortly after, thirty yards from her front doorstep, Megan Kanka was raped and
murdered.

Unknown to the Kankas, a convicted sex offender lived across the street. The murderer
had already served six years in prison for aggravated assault and attempted sexual assault
on another child. "We knew nothing about him", says Maureen Kanka.

"If we had been aware of his record, my daughter would be alive today." Letters poured
into the Kanka family home with offers of support and contributions to a memorial fund.
The result of this tragedy was a nationwide law. A law that would give parents what they
desperately wanted: the right to know. A law that would require notification when a
convicted sex offender moves into a neighborhood. A law to protect our children.

Passed hand-to-hand, over 400,000 citizens signed a petition demanding immediate

legislative action on the law that had to be written-Megan's Law. Within an
unprecedented eighty-nine days, the New Jersey State Legislature passed Megan's Law.

Megan could have been anybody's child. She was everybody's child, a poignant symbol
of the obligation that each of us has to make sure that children are safe in their own
community and that every parent has the right to know when a child is in harm's way.

Much has been done to protect children. Much, however, remains to be done.
From http://www.megannicolekankafoundation.org/ctc.htm

MEGAN'S LAW COAST TO COAST

On May 17, 1996, President Clinton signed Megan's Law as an amendment to the Jacob
Wetterling Crimes Against Children's Act. Megan's Law requires each state in the country
to notify the public when dangerous sexual offenders are residing in their area.

Each of the fifty states carries some form of public notification. Some states have
developed a three-tiered system for categorizing the offenders by risk to the public. Tier
One, which is a low risk of reoffending, Tier Two, which is a moderate risk of
reoffending and Tier Three which is a high risk of reoffending. By using the three-tiered
system, the state determines who in the public gets notified of the offender's residence. In
some states, Tier Two notices go out to schools, day care centers and organizations who
have children under their care. Tier Three notices go out to families living within a
certain radius of the offender's home.

Some states have set up a database of sex offender information through local police
departments that can be accessed by the public. Some require written requests for
information and others require a fee for sex offender information. Thirty-seven states
have developed sex offender internet registries.

Megan's Law provides several different avenues of notifying the public across the
country. Each state has created the notification system that best suits their state
constitution and need.

If you would like to see what form of notification your state provides, please click on
your state.
 New Jersey Sex Offender Internet Registry
https://www6.state.nj.us/LPS_spoff/SetSession

registry home | about sex offenders | guidelines | contacts | personal safety | faq's |
questions / comments

Please read the following and click "I accept" at the bottom of this page to access the New Jersey Sex
Offender Internet Registry.

Registry Home
About Sex Offenders Introduction
Guidelines
Contacts New Jersey law authorizes the
Division of State Police to make
Personal Safety
available to the public over the Important Information for Sex
Frequently Asked Internet information about certain sex
Questions - FAQ's Offenders
offenders required to register under
Questions / Megan's Law. The sex offender
Comments Internet registry law can be found in the New Jersey Code at 2C:7-12 to
-19.

This information is being made available on the Internet to facilitate public

access to information about persons who have committed a sex offense, to
enable you to take appropriate precautions to protect yourself and those in
your care from possible harm. Public access to registry information is
intended solely for the protection of the public, and should never be used to
threaten, intimidate or harass another.(See "Prohibitions on Misuse of
Registry Information" below.)

The registry is not a complete and comprehensive listing of every person

who has ever committed any sex offense in New Jersey, nor does it make
information about every sex offender living in New Jersey available on the
Internet. In accordance with New Jersey law, individuals who have been
convicted, adjudicated delinquent or found not guilty by reason of insanity
for a sex offense must register under New Jersey's Megan's Law. The
specific offenses for which registration is required can be found in New
Jersey Code at 2C:7-2. Individual registrants are then assessed to determine
whether they pose a relatively low, moderate or high risk of re-offense,
based on application of elements such as the characteristics of the sex
offense or offenses they committed, their offense history and other criteria
such as response to treatment and community support. Under New Jersey
law, before community notification takes place, offenders receive a final
classification order from the court following the opportunity for a hearing.

The Attorney General Guidelines for Law Enforcement for the

Implementation of Sex Offender Registration can be obtained from the
Division of Criminal Justice web site at www.state.nj.us/lps/dcj/megan for
more information on the registration, assessment and community
notification procedures.

This sex offender Internet registry includes information pertaining to sex

offenders determined to pose a relatively high risk of re-offense (tier 3
offenders) and, with certain exceptions, information about sex offenders
found to pose a moderate risk of re-offense (tier 2 offenders). The Internet
registry excludes any information about offenders determined to present a
low risk of re-offense (tier 1 offenders). The information about moderate
and high risk sex offenders which is authorized for disclosure in this web
site includes: the offender's name and address, any aliases used by the
offender; any Megan's Law sex offenses committed by the offender,
including a brief description and the date and location of disposition of any
such offense; a general description of the offender's modus operandi, if any;
the determination of whether the risk of re-offense by the offender is
moderate or high; the offender's age, race, sex, date of birth, height, weight,
hair, eye color and any distinguishing scars or tattoos; a photograph of the
offender and the date on which the photograph was entered into the registry;
and the make, model, color, year and license plate number of any vehicle
operated by the offender. The Internet registry is continually updated with
information about additional registrants added as court orders are issued
authorizing Internet disclosure about those individuals.

Accuracy of the Information Contained in this Web Site

Although the individuals listed on the sex offender Internet registry are
initially identified through fingerprinting and photograph submission to the
Division of State Police, it should be understood that positive identification
of any individual whose registration record has been made available on the
Internet registry can be verified only through the review of a properly
executed fingerprint card. By placing this information on the Internet, no
representation is being made that the listed individual will commit any
specific crime in the future, nor is any representation being made that if the
individual commits an offense, that one of the listed offenses will be the
offense committed. The Division of State Police, working in conjunction
with the "Megan's Law" Units in each County Prosecutor's Office, verifies
and updates this information regularly, to try to assure that it is complete
and correct. Address information is supplied by the municipal police
departments and County Prosecutors to the Division of State Police for
inclusion in this website. Although efforts have been made to ensure the
information is as accurate as possible, no guarantee is made or implied. The
information may also be subject to change and re-verification. You are
cautioned that information provided on this site may not reflect the current
residence, status or other information regarding an offender. If you believe
that any of the information found in these records is in error, please contact
the Division of State Police, Identification & Information Technology
Section, P.O. Box 7068, West Trenton, New Jersey 08628, Phone (609) 882-
2000, or the Prosecutor in the county where the offender resides.

Prohibitions on Misuse of Registry Information

Consistent with this public safety purpose of Megan's Law, the Internet
registry law expressly prohibits the use of registry information for the
purpose of applying for, obtaining, or denying health insurance, insurance,
loans, credit, education, scholarships or fellowships, benefits privileges or
services provided by any business establishment (unless for a purpose
consistent with the enhancement of public safety), or housing or
accommodations.

The law also makes it a crime, punishable by a term of imprisonment

between three and five years and a fine of up to $15,000, to use registry
information to commit a criminal offense, and makes it a disorderly persons
offense, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, to use registry information to
commit any disorderly persons or petty disorderly persons offense. These
charges would be in addition to any charges related to the underlying
criminal act committed.
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Sex Offender Registry, please visit Questions/Comments page.
 registry home | about sex offenders | guidelines | contacts | personal safety | faq's |
questions / comments

Types of Searches
SearchTypes | Geographic | Individual | Advanced | Vehicle | Recently Published |
Statistics | Fugitives

The Geographic search will afford you the ability to search

by county, zip code, locality or street name. You may also
search records published after the date of your choice.

The individual search will return specific individuals by

name and date of birth.

The advanced search will return individuals within a

county or locality by name and or physical characteristics.

The vehicle search will return vehicles that match the

search criteria.

A listing of individuals recently added to the Sex Offender

Internet Registry .

A Count of Offenders by County is returned.

A listing of Offenders currently fugitives.

WARNING!
 Any person who uses the information contained herein
to threaten, intimidate or harass another, or who
otherwise misuses that information may be subject to
criminal prosecution or civil liability.

There have been 5215515 visits to this site and 6886505 searches have been requested since February
21, 2002

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Copyright © State of New Jersey, 1996-2002

Department of Law & Public Safety
Division of New Jersey State Police
P.O. Box 7068
West Trenton, NJ 08628