Megan's Law Expanded

Senator Thomas P. Morahan announced thatthe New York State was expanding the scope of Megan's Law, with all Level 2 sex offenders now being listed on the Internet, in addition to Level 3 sex offenders. The law also expands public notice regarding Level 1 sex offenders.

This expansion of Megan’s Law adds more than 8,000 Level 2 sex offenders, considered to be a "moderate risk" to re-offend, to the website maintained by the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) under New York's Sex Offender Registration Act.

"Previously, you would only be able to determine if a Level 2 sex offender lived in your area if you had both the offender’s name and other personal information about that offender, such as a driver's license number or a social security number. This enhancement of Megan's Law allows New Yorkers to find out if any high or moderate risk sex offenders live in their neighborhoods by simply searching the state's website by geographic location, " said Senator Morahan, a sponsor of the initial legislation.

Under the previous law, only Level 3 sex offenders, considered "high risk" of re-offending, were listed and easily searchable on the Internet. The law also expands public notice about Level 1 sex offenders by authorizing local police to provide information about their presence in the community.

There are currently over 31,000 convicted sex offenders listed on the State’s Sex Offender Registry, which can be found on the DCJS website at www.criminaljustice.state.ny.us.

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