TopTenREVIEWS

The State of Minnesota provides a standard sex offender registry with thorough background information and community resources. Like other states in this ranking area, Minnesota does not have an interactive map, which would significantly improve this site’s usefulness to the community.

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Information Provided:

Minnesota assigns one of three risk levels to all sex offenders prior to their release into the community, Level I is low risk, Level II is moderate risk and Level III is high risk. Only Level III registered sex offenders are included on Minnesota’s website. According to the site, “Law enforcement agencies decide, on a case-by-case basis what information is to be posted.”

Profiles include a physical description, both front and side view photos, registered address and offense information with victim’s age, sex and whether or not he or she was known to the offender.

Search Functions:

There are five ways to search: zip code, first and last name, city, county or you may view all Level III offenders by leaving the name fields blank.

Additional Site Features:

The main page offers links to the Community Notification Act in English, Hmong, Somali and Spanish, plus useful safety tips and educational articles. A link to relevant Minnesota statutes is included.

Ease of Use:

Simple directions and a drop down menu for city and county make searching easy. Since many counties do not have Level III offenders, the addition of the number of offenders in each county in the drop down menu would be helpful.

Contact Information:

Contact the Department of Corrections by email, telephone or mail.

Summary:

Minnesota’s Sex Offender Registry site is easy to use and gives relevant information on the state’s sex offenders posing the highest risk to the public. With the addition of work and school addresses and an interactive map, Minnesota would provide a higher level of safety for its residents.