Under California Penal Code section 290, a person convicted of certain sexual offenses must notify local law enforcement agencies that he/she is a registered sex offender. California was the first state to require lifetime registration for convicted sex offenders.

Megan’s Law was passed by the California state legislature in 1996 to permit local police agencies to publish information about registered sex offenders. Megan’s Law was modified in 2004 to allow this information to be made public on the internet.

The California Department of Justice (DOJ) maintains the registered sex offender database and provides the information for the Meghan’s Law website. When persons convicted of specified sex crimes are required to register as sex offenders, this information form is forwarded to DOJ and maintained in their database. If a registered sex offender is in violation of the update requirements, the Internet web site will show the registrant as being in violation.

Exclusion from Internet Disclosure

California law does not require that information about all registered sex offenders appear on the Megan’s Law website. There are certain categories of registered offenders that are excluded and protected from public disclosure. Contact our office for a free consultation regarding your case and the application process for exclusion from internet disclosure.