Megan's Law in Las Vegas

In 1994 Megan Kanka, a seven year old, was raped and murdered in New Jersey by a known sex offender. Her family was not aware that this dangerous predator had moved across the street from them because it was not yet legal for that information to be publicly displayed. The New Jersey congressman of the time quickly drafted a bill that became known as Megan's Law. This law was instated federally. Each state quickly followed with their own version of the law. Nevada's Megan's Law has received a considerable amount of criticism over the years. However, state leaders have been working hard to reverse this situation.

The Law's Provisions

Under NRS 179B.250, the public has been given the right to access a limited amount of sex offender information. Prior to this law, the information could only be retrieved by phone call to the State Criminal History Repository. The information is now available online. This site focuses on serious and high-risk offenders. Nevada operates on a Tier basis. There are four levels: Tier 0, Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3. Only individuals who are on level 2 and 3 are recorded on the website. The information that is provided includes the name, description, residential address, employment address, and school address. All conviction information is provided as well. This includes the date of conviction, a description of the conviction and the institution that the individual was incarcerated in.

The law states that only offenders who are placed on the Tier 2 and Tier 3 lists will be posted on Megan's Law Website. Those who are on levels 0 and 1 will not be posted on the site. In order to be removed from this requirement, you must change Tier levels. After 10 years, you can submit a petition for reassessment. This petition goes to the Attorney General's Office's Chief Deputy of the Criminal Division. If you are on Tier 1, you may no longer be required to notify the community of your whereabouts. If you are on Tier 2 or 3, you may be reassigned to a lower level. In order to qualify to do this, you must not have been convicted of any offense since your release. If you have any questions, feel free to contact an associate from Okabe & Haushalter.