Megan’s Law is a legal provision that was established by the United States Congress in 1996. This law was put into place to create additional legal protections for children who may be targets for sexual abuse. Under the law, every state in the country is required to establish and maintain a sex offender registry.
The guidelines that Texas established require every person who was convicted of a sexual offense on or after September 1, 1970 to notify and register with law enforcement within 7 days of moving to a new location. This law applies to both adult and juvenile offenders. The offenders must provide:
The offender’s photograph, fingerprints and physical description are stored in an online database. Also, law enforcement will include an assessment of the person’s likelihood to commit similar crimes in the future. All of this information is then made available for display to anyone. The Social Security numbers and phone numbers remain private, but all other data is freely available to view at any time.
Members of the public can also use the database to search for specific records based on name or location. Most criminals who are required to register for the Texas sex offender database are forced to remain on the list for the rest of their lives.
By making this information publicly available, law enforcement strives to keep children safe by preventing sexually dangerous criminals from repeating their offenses.
To learn more about the facts of the sexual offenders database, meet with Brett A. Podolsky by calling 713-227-0087.
