Legal Topics > Criminal Law >

Nolo's Plain-English Law Dictionary

Need Professional Help? Talk to a Lawyer
Enter Your Zip Code to Connect with a Lawyer Serving Your Area

Megan's Law: An informal name for a law that requires convicted sex offenders to register with law enforcement authorities, who then make certain information available to the public. Registered information varies from state to state, but it often includes the offender's name, address, date of conviction, type of crime, and photograph. This information may be made available on the Internet or distributed through newspapers, pamphlets, or other means. These laws are named for seven-year-old Megan Kanka, who was kidnapped, raped, and murdered in New Jersey in 1994.

Need Legal Help?
Get Informed	Check out our thousands of free articles on everyday legal topics--they're accurate, up to date, and written in plain English.
Do It Yourself	With Nolo's easy-to-use books, legal forms, online services, and software, you can handle many routine legal tasks yourself.
Talk to a Lawyer	Just enter your zip code to connect with a lawyer serving your area.

More Information

Get Informed