| Using Megan's Law Information to Commit a | | | | |
| Felony | | | | Health insurance |
| | | | |
| Megan's Law allows law enforcement agencies | | | | Insurance |
| to collect information about sex offenders, | | | | |
| notifying the public about sex offender's who | | | | Loans |
| pose a risk to the public. The California | | | | |
| Department of Justice (DOJ) maintains the | | | | Credit |
| registered sex offender database. | | | | |
| | | | Employment |
| Pursuant to California Penal Code Section | | | | |
| 290, persons convicted of specified sex | | | | Education |
| crimes are required to register as sex | | | | |
| offenders with a local law enforcement | | | | Scholarships |
| agency. Prior to their release from prison, | | | | |
| jail, mental hospital, or on probation, sex | | | | Fellowships |
| offenders are notified in writing of their | | | | |
| duty to register, and a copy of the | | | | Housing accommodations |
| notification form is forwarded to the DOJ. | | | | |
| When a sex offender is released into the | | | | Benefits, privileges, or services |
| community, the agency forwards the | | | | provided by any business. |
| registration information to the DOJ. With | | | | |
| few exceptions, the registration requirement | | | | While more than 63,000 people are required to |
| is a lifetime mandate. During annual | | | | register in California as sex offenders, |
| registration, the registered sex offender is | | | | approximately 25% of registered sex offenders |
| required to verify his or her name and | | | | are excluded from public disclosure, but |
| address or temporary location. Failure to | | | | known to law enforcement personnel. Certain |
| properly register may be a felony and may | | | | offenses allow the person to apply for |
| count as a "Third Strike." | | | | exclusion from the Megan's Law website, |
| | | | however they must still register as sex |
| The type of information released to the | | | | offenders. The following offenses allow for |
| public depends on the severity of the | | | | exclusion: |
| conviction. Information includes the name, | | | | |
| picture, the sex offenses convicted of, | | | | (1) Sexual battery by restraint (Penal Code |
| specific home addresses, zip code, city, | | | | § 243.4 (a)) |
| county, known scars/tattoos, and alternate | | | | |
| names used | | | | (2) Misdemeanor child molestation (Penal |
| | | | Code § 647.6, or former section 647a) |
| The information listed on the website cannot | | | | |
| be used to commit a crime. It may be a | | | | (3) Any offense which did not involve |
| misdemeanor or a felony to misuse the | | | | penetration or oral copulation, the victim of |
| information on the web site. In addition, | | | | which was a child, stepchild, grandchild, or |
| civil penalties in the form of money damages | | | | sibling of the offender, and for which the |
| may be added. Using information for the | | | | offender successfully completed or is |
| following purposes is prohibited: | | | | successfully completing probation. |