On July 20th, the Department of Justice activated its National Sex Offender Public Registry (NSOPR) Website, which provides real-time access to public sex offender data nationwide with a singe internet search. The website allows parents and concerned citizens to search existing public state and territory sex offender registries beyond their own states.
As we speak, states nationwide are coming on-line with the site, however, the site does not yet include all 50 States, but the entire nation is expected to be linked by the end of 2005. Check out the link below for more information.
In 2001, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the Sex Offender Registry require an offender to provide his/her home and work address, and this data can be transmitted to police departments. In addition, this information can be released to the public, but only after the offender has been properly classified at an administrative hearing. This ruling gave birth to the current version of what is commonly known as the "Sex Offender Registry".
In July of 1994, a seven-year-old girl from New Jersey was raped and murdered by a convicted sex offender that lived across the street. In the light of this horrible incident, Congress passed an amendment to the Law Enforcement Act, which requires each state to establish some form of sex offender community notification program.
The Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board was created to comply with this law, and acts as a way to protect vulnerable members of our community from sex offenders.
A person who either works, lives, or goes to school in Massachusetts, and who was convicted, adjudicated, incarcerated, on probation or parole or civilly committed for a sex offence on or after August 1, 1981, is required to register by law.
The individual's case is reviewed by a Board of experts including legal professionals, members of probation and parole and several psychologist and psychiatrists with special expertise in the field. The case if reviewed, and the Board classifies the sex offender using the 3 level system. Once classified, police departments are notified if the individual lives, works or goes to school in their town, and they in turn make this information available to the public.
The official site of the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board offers a ton of information for about and for sex offenders. Click on the link below to check it out.
