California Sex Offender Registration

In 1994, a 7-year old New Jersey girl named Megan Kanka was raped and murdered by a neighbor who had twice previously been convicted of sex crimes against young girls. In the aftermath, legislatures around the country have introduced laws that required convicted sex offenders to register with state and local law enforcement.

Charged with Rape or Sexual Assault?

A more recent development has been for the sex offender registries to be made publicly available through online databases with the goal of keeping people in the community safe from known sexual predators. California's sex offender registry has been accessible on a website maintained by the state Department of Justice since 2004.

State law lists out 169 separate offenses for which a conviction requires the perpetrator to register:

• Rape
• Indecent Exposure
• Sexual Battery
• Prostitution Offenses Involving Minors
• Child Molestation

If convicted of a registerable offense, you will be required to update your registration on a yearly basis, though if you are classified as a sexually violent predator you will be required to register once every 90 days so that law enforcement can close track of you. California requires a sex offender to register for life. Due to this fact and the size of the state population, it has the largest number of registered sex offenders in the nation. There are currently 777 registered sex offenders in Long Beach alone.

Sex Offenders Subjected to Public Scrutiny

If required to register, you will end up with a detailed profile on the California Megan's Law website, including:

• Recent photograph
• Detailed physical description
• Your name and any alias you might use
• Your home address
• Any tattoos or scars that might be used to identify you
• Details about the crime for which you were convicted

Local law enforcement agencies may also actively notify the community of your presence. In addition to the requirements of Megan's Law, you may be subjected to the terms of Jessica's Law, which requires some sex offenders to wear a global positioning satellite (GPS) tracking device so law enforcement agencies can continually track their motions and monitor their whereabouts. When you are a facing charges that could require you to have to register as a sex offender, you need to make sure you have the best possible legal defense. You need to make sure you have West Coast Defense on your side. Call us now at (800) 922-6989 to schedule a no-cost legal consultation. Our firm has provided favorable results by developing effective legal strategies for our clients.