Pennsylvania Reviewer's Comments

Pennsylvania’s sex offender registry is referred to as the Megan’s Law Website. The site has been designed in strict accordance with the requirements set forth by the 2006 James Walsh Act, which establishes the minimum requirements for state sex offender registry sites. Pennsylvania is ahead of many other states in the information provided on the site like vehicle information and addresses for residence, employment, and schools where applicable. With an interactive map Pennsylvania would improve the usefulness of its site. 

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Information Provided:  

Megan’s Law Website divides profile information by tabs: address info, physical description, vehicle info, arrest info and alias info. All of the federally required information is included, but relevant offense details are missing that would help concerned residents assess the risk of a particular offender. Sexually Violent Predators are indicated by a label on the profile page, but not on the results listing following a search. 

Search Functions:  

Search by county, municipality, city, zip code, first name, last name and aliases. Wild cards are supported—type in just the first few letters and all listings will be included in your results that begin with those letters. You may also see a list of offenders designated Sexually Dangerous Predators from the main left-hand navigation. 

Additional Site Features:  

This registry offers links to the legal history behind this site, Crimes Code of Pennsylvania, restrictions of notification, and others. It does not offer safety tips for families. Clearly, Pennsylvania has adhered to the requirements, but does little to go above and beyond to address neighborhood safety concerns and prevention.  Other sites offer information written specifically for their residents.

Ease of Use:  

Performing searches and getting results is easy. The “wild card” searches are useful and the county search offers a convenient drop down menu to select from. 

Contact Information:  

You can contact the Megan’s Law section of the Pennsylvania Police by telephone, email or mail. However, you have to go through their FAQs section to find their street address.

Summary:  

Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law Website conforms to federal requirements, but without an interactive map, clear risk assessment, and description of the offense it falls short in adequately addressing the safety concerns of the communities it serves.