A measure commonly known as Megan’s Law sought to inform people about the presence of sex offenders by having the state publish publicly available information about their offenses and whereabouts. A website managed by the California Department of Justice includes a tool to search for sex offenders by name or location.
While the site warns against vigilantism, stating that “anyone who uses this information to commit a crime or to harass an offender or his or her family is subject to criminal prosecution and civil liability,” plaintiffs in the lawsuit say they have been targeted because of the state’s negligence in updating the website to include their dates of conviction and release as required as of 2010 by a 2006 law.
That lack of information has exposed registered offenders to “physical harm, loss of employment, underemployment, lack of adequate housing and other deprivations of rights,” charges a lawsuit filed by the organization California Reform Sex Offender Laws in Los Angeles Superior Court. The complaint alleges that 92 percent of the profiles on the Megan’s Law site lack dates of conviction or release.
