Megan’s Law data shows 1,000 Pa. offenders out of registry compliance

There are 1,000 people on Pennsylvania’s sex offender registry who have not reported their information to the Pennsylvania State Police as required, according to the Megan’s Law website that posts information about offenders from across the commonwealth.

Non-compliant offenders include those who have failed to appear at a registration site within the required time and those who have not reported changes in residence, employment or student status to the state police.

Arrest warrants have been issued for 247 of the 1,000 non-compliant offenders as of April 8. Apart from the non-compliant, 117 are listed as transient, which could mean they are homeless or living somewhere temporarily.

Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law website included roughly 24,000 offenders in 2024, according to state police’s most recent annual report.

Texas has more than 75,000 offenders, the most nationally and outpacing California’s roughly 60,000.

There are more than 900,000 registered sex offenders in the United States, according to WifiTalents, an independent market research firm.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children estimates between 80,000 and 100,000 registered offenders may be non-compliant or “missing” from their recorded addresses. The center provides PSP with annual statistics on non-compliance.

Roughly 4% of Pennsylvania offenders are non-compliant, PSP officials said, which is significantly lower than the 11% national average.

It is a felony to violate registration requirements and local police are notified of suspected violations in their jurisdictions, according to state police officials. Affected departments investigate and charge or arrest someone just like any other criminal investigation or arrest.

What is Megan’s Law?

Megan’s Law came about in 1994 after 7-year-old Megan Kanka was abducted from the front yard of her New Jersey home, raped and murdered by a twice-convicted sex offender who lived across the street. Megan’s parents said if they had known the offender’s history, they could have protected her better.

A version of Megan’s Law in every state requires convicted sex offenders to register through law enforcement. Pennsylvania’s law was enacted in 1995. Since then, revisions have expanded the definition of who is required to register and what details to include.

Sex offender registries are heralded as a transparent resource for people to know where sex offenders are present. The Pennsylvania website recorded 3.3 million visits in 2024, according to state police.

How does the sex-offender registry work?

Registry opponents maintain that the lists do more harm than good and publicly shame a group of offenders who struggle to find housing and employment, two major factors across all crimes in whether someone is likely to re-offend.

Offenders must notify state police whenever they move, get a job, register a car, create an email address or change phone numbers. An offender’s tattoos, scars and vehicle storage location are included in their report that also updates the person’s picture, sometimes more than once a year.

“Non-compliance with Megan’s Law registration hampers the public from being provided adequate notice and information about sexual offenders’ locations,” Chris Caracino, deputy communications director for the state police, wrote in an emailed response to USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania. “Non-compliance inhibits the community from being able to develop constructive plans such as meeting with and asking questions of law enforcement, reviewing community rights, obtaining education and counseling for residents.”

When an offender is classified by a judge as a sexually violent predator, neighbors, children and youth agencies, school districts, certified daycares, preschools and colleges/universities are notified by law enforcement about those residing in their areas, as required by statute.

“It’s tracking and punishing people for what they might do ― no other crime does that,” said John Dawe, managing director of the Pennsylvania Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws.

Dawe, a Megan’s Law registrant in Pennsylvania since 2022, said some people may struggle to reach a registration site if they live far away and lack transportation.

Every state police station is open 24 hours a day and is a registration site, officials said.

“PSP maintains a Megan’s Law public toll-free phone number where we receive hundreds of calls each day, many from offenders asking questions regarding their requirements,” Caracino wrote. “PSP timely responds and answers any questions it receives regarding reporting obligations.”

The state gets federal grant funding to conduct compliance checks, Caracino said. This is done by sharing information with local, county and federal law enforcement, including U.S. Marshals, for inclusion on the National Sex Offender Registry.

A 2018 Pennsylvania law allowed some offenders to verify by telephone, but Dawe said it took too long to implement and is not fully accessible.

The phone system can only be used by Tier II and Tier III offenders to verify information, according to officials. It may not be used to change or add information on file.

“Eligible individuals are still required to appear in person at an approved registration site annually for verification and photographing,” Caracino wrote.

Created to protect communities, the basic premise of Megan’s Law is the idea that if we know where offenders are, we can protect communities better, explained state Rep. Emily Kinkead, a Democrat who represents parts of Allegheny County.

Kinkead asked state police about their phone system at a March 11 budget hearing. The agency has not yet responded, she said.

“When we make it easier for folks to comply, we make it easier for them to follow the law,” Kinkead told USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania. “If the goal is to have that information, we should make it as easy as possible for folks to comply so we can have up-to-date information.”

The phone verification system is operational 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, Caracino explained in his email, noting there have been no known system outages.

The most common cases for non-compliance are when an offender missed their three-business-day verification window, according to state police.