I am a 290 registrant. Can the government release information about me to the public?

Probably. Unless you fall under certain exceptions or your sex offense was handled in juvenile court, the state can publish your name, photograph, physical description, date of birth, and zip code on the internet.[568] This information is published on what is sometimes called the “Megan’s Law” website, after a public notification law passed in 2004.[569] The government can’t publish certain Information about you; this means the Megan’s Law website should not include the name of your employer or any criminal history not related to your registration requirement.[570]

In addition to the Megan’s Law website, state and local law enforcement agencies can release information about 290 registrants by other means when necessary to protect the public.[571]

WARNING: It is a misdemeanor for a 290 registrant to look at the Megan’s Law website.[572] However, according to the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws, it is not illegal to ask a non-290 registrant to obtain that information, then print or email it to you.[573]

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  1. 568

    Cal. Penal Code § 290.46.

  2. 569

    These public notification rules apply even to a person who entered a plea bargain to a sex offense prior to the adoption of Megan’s Law on September 24, 2004, unless there was a specific agreement that future retroactive changes to the registration laws wouldn’t apply. See Doe v. Harris, 57 Cal.4th 64. (2013).

  3. 570

    Cal. Penal Code § 290.46(a)(1).

  4. 571

    Cal. Penal Code § 290.45.

  5. 572

    Cal. Penal Code § 290.46(k).

  6. 573

    FAQ, Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws, http://all4consolaws.org/faq/.