Megan's Law

Megan’s Law requires the registration of sex offenders and that this information should be publicly available.

This mandate was in response to the high-profile case of Megan Kanka, a seven-year-old who was raped and murdered by Jesse Timmendequas who lived across the street from the Kankas. According to Megan’s parents, Richard and Maureen, their daughter would still be alive if they had known that their neighbor is a sex offender with two previous convictions. This federal law was signed by President Bill Clinton on May 17, 1996 (2 years after Megan’s death). The required disclosures are different per state. The usual information which are publicly available include the offender’s name, offense, picture, date of incarceration, and address.