Megan’s Law for New Jersey
updated 2/1/2023
| Contact Person: | New Jersey State Police 609-882-2000 ext. 2493 or ext. 2891 |
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| Offenders Required to Register: | Sex offenders who have been released from custody since Megan’s Law went into effect on October 31, 1994, are required to register with the police. In addition, offenders who were on parole or probation on the effective date of the law, as well as offenders who have been found to be repetitive and compulsive by experts and the courts – regardless of the date of sentence – are required to register. Offenses include: aggravated sexual assault; sexual assault; aggravated criminal sexual contact; endangering the welfare of a child by engaging in sexual conduct which would impair or debauch the morals of the child; luring or enticing and, if the victim were a minor and the offender not a parent, kidnapping; criminal restraint and false imprisonment and promoting prostitution of a child under 18. |
| Information Collected: | Name, social security number, age, race, sex, date of birth, height, weight, hair and eye color, address of legal residence, address of any current temporary residence, date and place of employment. Date and place of each conviction, adjudication or acquittal by reason of insanity, indictment number, fingerprints, photograph and a brief description of the crime or crimes for which registration is required; and any other information that the Attorney General deems necessary to assess risk of future commission of a crime, including criminal and corrections records, non privileged personnel, treatment, and abuse registry records, and evidentiary genetic markers when available. |
| Administrating Agency: | Superintendent of State Police, Department of Corrections, Administrative Office of the Courts, Department of Human Services, Division of Motor Vehicles of the Department of Law and Public Safety, Attorney General, local law enforcement, Division of State Police. |
| Timeframe for Registration: | Registered prior to release; upon being placed on supervision; within 10 days of entering state; 10 days prior to changing address. |
| Applies to Out of State Offenders: | Yes |
| Duration of Requirement: | Life, however certain offenders may apply to State Superior Court to terminate obligation to register if no offense committed within 15 years following conviction or release. |
| Verification of Address: | Every 90 days for repetitive and compulsive offenders; annually for all others. |
| Penalties for Non-Compliance: | Crime of the third degree. |
| Access to Information: | The state Departments of Corrections and Human Services are responsible for informing county prosecutors about the anticipated release of sex offenders. In turn, the prosecutors must determine risk to the community – the likelihood that the offender will commit another crime. Hearings are provided to those offenders who challenge the prosecutor’s risk determination or the proposed scope of notification. Notification can proceed when the court issues a final order authorizing the county prosecutor to provide relevant information to the appropriate groups of individuals. Sex offenders who reside in the community are classified by prosecutors in one of three “tiers” based on the degree of risk they pose to the public. The 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). However, law enforcement agencies are notified of the presence of all sex offenders. |
| Confidentiality Provision: | It is 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. |
| Number Registered: | 12,306 as of 2/1/2023 |
| Percent Compliance: | 98% |
| Internet Access: | New Jersey Sex Offender Registry |