Georgia Sex Offender List Information

Data released by Georgia Southern University reveal that at present, there are more than 450,000 registered sex offenders residing in U.S. There could be one in your locality, camouflaging his/her malicious and perverse intentions behind a façade of geniality and friendliness.

One way to safeguard yourself and your near and dear ones from these masked offenders is to scour through the Georgia sex offender list and carry out background checks on dubious individuals. Information is power and the extensive Georgia sex offender list empowers you.

Who is a Sex Offender?

The term “sex offender” is generally used to refer to an individual who has been charged with and convicted of one of more sexual crimes: rape, harassment, molestation, producing and distributing pornographic materials, and child sexual abuse. A sexual offense however, has varied connotations: it is used across various jurisdictions to imply crimes like mooning, streaking, and not preventing one’s teenage ward(s) from taking part in consensual sexual acts.

Across the U.S., sex offenders are categorized into three levels. These levels serve as indicators to determine the chance of them committing a sex crime again. Usually, a Level 1 sex offender is considered at low risk of repeating a sex crime, a Level 2 offender at moderate risk, and a Level 3 offender is at high risk of re-offending.

Georgia Sex Offender Laws

Georgia sex offender laws adhere to the guidelines laid down by Megan’s Law.

Megan’s Law was signed in May 1996. From then on, it became compulsory for all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia to follow its guidelines: all sex offenders in the state must get themselves registered with the police and the state government or any other government-authorized body must make all public and private information about the registered sex offenders available to citizens. 

Georgia sex offender laws require sex offenders residing within its territories to register with the law enforcement officials. Convicts under Georgia’s first offender act have to register and regularly verify the information provided to the authorities until they have completed their sentence.

A sex offender who is not a citizen of the state but has moved to Georgia to take up residence has to register as a Georgia sex offender. This is as per the guidelines of federal, military, tribal, and the local laws of the state. A non-resident sexual offender who comes to live in Georgia to work or attend a school either on a full-time or a part-time basis, or for any other reason and proposes to stay for a consecutive period of 14 days or for a total span of 30 days, must register as a sex offender with the local police.

In Georgia, a sex offender has to register with the county sheriff’s office within 72 hours of entering the state, being released from the prison, placed on parole, or being released for supervision. As per Georgia sex offender laws, a sex offender must update or verify the information about him/her that is with the county sheriff’s office.

Non-compliance to the Georgia sex offender laws is considered a felony and a charge or a conviction carries with it heavy penalties. A Georgia sex offender however, does not need to register any more if the court deems that s/he does not present a considerable risk of re-offending.

Georgia Sex Offender Information

Georgia sex offender registry records put the number of registered sex offenders at 12,900 as on April 2009. According to Megan’s Law, the public must be notified when a registered sex offender is released from prison or a correctional facility or is out on probation.

The Internet is teeming with web sites listing details of Georgia sex offenders. Some of these sites let you access their databases for free, while some others charge a subscription fee. Some even claim tie-ins with governmental agencies. But it is always a good idea to obtain the information from a government source; you can be reasonably sure about the veracity of these records. Here’s how you may access and acquire information about sex offenders from government sources.

As per the requirements of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, signed by President Bush on July 2006, the US Department of Justice created a public database, freely accessible to all, which lists information on sex offenders in all the 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the District of Columbia. The Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website thus came into being. This extensive Internet database is accessible at http://www.nsopw.gov/Core/Conditions.aspx.

You can search information about a suspected sex offender by keying in these parameters: the first and the last names of the person whose records you would like to search, the name of the state or the territory where the crime took place, the respective city or the town, and the zip code.

This database also enables you to check sex offender information on a state by state basis. You can look up the records of Georgia sex offenders by clicking on “Georgia” on the list of states in this link: http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/cac/registry.htm. Then click “I Agree” below the section containing the terms and conditions of use, fill out the Search form with the relevant data, and click the Search button. You will be provided with an exhaustive Georgia sex offender list in no time at all.

This centralized database is fed by information obtained from state law enforcement authorities. So after you have obtained a result, ensure that you cross-check the information with the respective state jurisdiction. The information obtained from this site cannot be used for commercial purposes. Also remember that the data on this site is intended solely for precautionary measures.

In Georgia, as per the rules laid down by O.C.G.A. 42-1-12, the Georgia Crime Information Center, operating under the aegis of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, is required to maintain a database of all persons who have ever been convicted of sexual offenses and are staying within the boundaries of the state. The Center prepares these records from the documents provided by the Georgia Department of Corrections, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, and/or any other government agency authorized by law.

Looking up information in the Georgia sex offender list is easy and hassle-free. This is an encouragement to both the law enforcement officer and citizens to use the database more frequently. If a new neighbor invokes doubt or is trying to be too friendly with your children, run a search in the Georgia sex offender list. Agree to a dinner date with a casual acquaintance only after you have made a thorough background check on the individual.