Are There Registered Sex Offenders Near Me?

It completely normal to want to know you or your loved ones are safe when you’re not at home. But the hard facts are that there are bad people that are around us. It is the world we live in. As the population grows so does the people that may be out to cause you harm, it is just the reality of the world we live in today.

One question that gets asked a lot is are there registered sex offenders near me? The answer to this is yes. I know it is probably an unsettling thing to think about, but its the truth and you should be aware of who is around you, your kids, and loved ones.

What is a sex offender?

A sex offender is someone that commits a sex crime. Also known as a sexual abuser, sexual offender, or sex offender within the United States. Typically someone that is convicted of sexual crime violated a law within a sexual category. This could be:

• Prostitution conviction multiple times
• Relationship between an adult and teenagers resulting in corruption of a minor.
• Sexual contact between adult and minor (Child molestation)
• Sexual assault
• Rape, statutory rape
• Child sexual abuse
• Incest

What is Megan’s law

Enacted on May 17th, 1996 is a law that mandates a county will be alerted and notified if a child offender will be residing within that county and that any residents within that county can easily and freely access that information on that sex offender.

Who is Megan Nicole Kanka? She was a 7-year-old girl that disappeared on July 29, 1994. She was lured away by her neighbor and brought into his home. Once inside she was raped and strangled and her body was stuffed into a plastic toy chest and discarded by a nearby park.

Megan was killed by a two-time convicted child offender. Within his home, there were also two other convicted sex offenders. Because of this tragic event that took Megan’s life got the local state legislation in creating Megan’s law. You shouldn’t have to ask the question are there registered sex offenders near me. You should have the tools to go online and know. And you do to a certain extent. Below you will see what tools to use.

Are all sex offenders made to register?

Offenders that were convicted after 1970 and that were under supervision on September 1, 1997, would have needed to register. The majority of people within the United States that were convicted of a sexual crime before this date did not have to register.

If an individual has an offense against a child they must register as a sex offender. This is done within the town or city right after he or she is released from prison. Also, a few things must happen by law or it is a criminal offense against the sex offender. He or she must:

• Re-register every year (sometimes more frequently)
• Whenever he or she moves

Keep in mind that each state has its own registry system. Also depending on what jurisdiction the sex offender is in will also determine what information they must provide and also what information the public may see. Because of this please check with the laws in your state.

In 2006 “SORNA” or Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act was passed. This was done to strengthen the national network of registration and notification programs in order to establish a minimum standard of such systems. While it should be noted that not all states have implemented SORNA standards and those that have still have differences in their laws when it comes to sex offenders.

What data is required to register as a sex offender?

Again, this information will vary by jurisdiction and state to state. The below data may include the following pieces of information that are required by the sex offender:

• Full Name
• Date of birth
• Address
• Photograph
• Offense information
• Vehicle registration
• DNA sample
• Fingerprints
• And more…

What’s the recidivism rate of a sex offender

This is a difficult concept to cover. For one many crime such as rape goes untold so these numbers can get water-downed. There is a very in-depth post by Rodger Przybylski on adult sex offender recidivism. You can read that here.

With that said there are sexual offenders like other criminals that once released from prison and after a certain period of time committed a crime or the same crime again. This is what recidivism is. When it comes to sexual recidivism rate and according to the article written by Rodger Przybylski it shows that when a study was performed by Langan, Schmitt, and Durose in 2003 the research found a 5.3 percent reconviction rate of a sex crime.

Are there rules to where a sex offender can live?

There are rules when a sex offender is under court-ordered supervision through probation or parole. However, when that offender has served their sentence and is no longer on parole or probation they probably would not have to adhere to any restrictions on where to live.

Again, we have said this before the laws differ from state to state and even from county to county so checking with your local jurisdiction would help in finding these more granular laws within your area.

Locations called “Child Congregation areas” they would be considered:

• Schools
• Daycares
• Playgrounds
• Parks
• Swimming pools
• Libraries
• Bus stops
• Gyms

These child safety zones have restrictions that do not allow sex offenders to legally live within 500 to 200 feet of these places where kids would gather. In some places, a sex offender cannot even travel through those areas on foot, car, or bus.

How to find Sex offenders near me?

There are a few ways to go about knowing if there are registered sex offenders near me. Using the National Sex Offender Public Website or search service.

Search service to locate sex offenders and more

You can also run a sex offender search by using a search service. learn more about the top background check sites for 2019 and how they can help you find not just sex offenders buy a lot more information on someone. Locate criminal records, phone numbers, address info, social profiles and more within a single name search. It’s a great tool to locate information about someone online.

What kind of information can you expect to see?

Typically a sex offender has to register and make the certain information public so it can be found. Although this information will vary by jurisdiction you would typically be able to see the following:

• Full Name
• Aliases
• Current address
• photograph
• offenses