New York Added To National Sex Offender Public Registry Website
November 3, 2005
This week, Senator Bill Larkin reports that the U.S. Department of Justice has added New York to the National Sex Offender Public Registry (NSOPR) website.
"Adding New York to the National Sex Offender Registry is an important move in the fight to protect victims and potential victims," said Senator Larkin. "There are more than 500,000 registered sex offenders nationwide. It is critical that parents and the public in general have access to the national registry’s information so that offenders can be more easily identified. But we can still do more which is why I will continue to push for tougher sex offender laws on the books in New York."
Larkin supports proposed legislation that would not only expand the information available to the public by having all offenders, regardless of level, listed on the Internet, but the bill would also require all convicted sex offenders to register with the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) for life. Currently, certain sex offenders only have to register for a period of ten years. If the law remains unchanged, approximately 3,300 Level 1 and Level 2 offenders will be removed from the Registry in 2006 beginning in January.
Measures to expand and strengthen Megan’s Law passed the State Senate this year in an overwhelmingly bipartisan fashion, 60-1. And, proposed legislation that would allow for civil commitment of sexual predators has passed the Senate since 1998, with the vote this past session totaling 58-2 in favor.
There is no charge to use the National Sex Offender Registry. The site is located at www.nsopr.gov.
DCJS maintains official information on the highest risk, Level 3, sex offenders on its website. DCJS also maintains a Sex Offender Registry Information Line
(1-800-262-3257) and produces a Subdirectory of Level 3 Sex Offenders, which is maintained at local police agencies. There are more than 22,000 convicted sex offenders listed on the Registry. For more information, go to the DCJS website at
www.criminaljustice.state.ny.us.
