Montana Reviewer's Comments

Montana’s public site differs significantly from other states’ registries. Montana includes both sexual offenders and violent offenders—encompassing the widest spectrum of convictions in the country. Montana uses a three-tier risk assessment program for sex offenders; public information increases with each tier. Montana also provides a history of the registry from 1989 to the present; clearly, the trend is toward tougher penalties and expansion of the registry. 

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Information Provided:  

Each profile is divided into easily readable sections with the most important information at the top: offender type and risk level. A complete physical description, residence address, vehicle information and offense details are listed below. Offense information includes the victim’s sex and age. 

Search Functions:  

Montana offers one search function with convenient options. Type in a county, select a county from a list or select a county by clicking on a map. You may also search by city, zip code or last name. Limit your results to sex offenders, violent offenders or see a combined list. Search results include name, address, city, and most important, offender type and designation including Sexually Violent Predator. 

Additional Site Features:  

Montana’s Sexual or Violent Offender Registry offers Community Safety guidelines for parents and educators. Background information includes history of the registry, Offender Types & Tier Levels, Registration Requirements, and Statistics & Reports. 

Ease of Use:  

Montana offers lists for counties, cities and zip codes to facilitate searching; this is good, but drop down menus are better. The site is easy to navigate and provides search results tailored to your safety concerns. 

Contact Information:  

Contact the Montana Department of Justice by phone or email with questions or concerns regarding the registry. 

Summary:  

For a small state, Montana delivers a big community service, offering a registry for sex offenders and violent offenders. Risk assessment is displayed and sexually violent predators are identified. The data is here, so now it’s time to add an interactive map to provide a fully functional service for Montana residents.