§20920 Public Access to Sex Offender Information Through the Internet

Summary

Each state or local agency that keeps a sex offender registry must put the registry information on the Internet so the public and other agencies can get to it easily. The website must let someone search by a single query for a zip code or a user-set geographic radius. The site must include the search fields needed to work with the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website and must join that national site as the Attorney General directs. The site must not show victims’ names, offenders’ Social Security numbers, arrests that did not lead to conviction, or other items the Attorney General exempts. A jurisdiction may also hide some other items, such as certain Tier I offender information for non-minor offenses, an offender’s employer or school name, and other Attorney General-exempted items. The site must, when possible, link to safety and education resources, explain how to request corrections of errors, and warn that using the information to harm, harass, or commit crimes can lead to civil or criminal penalties.