Bickerton and Bickerton Attorneys at Law

Under Pennsylvania law, people who have been convicted of certain sexual offenses are required to register with the state under Megan’s Law.  If you are one of those who are required to register, you can be charged with failure to comply with Megan’s Law requirements (18 Pa.C.S.A. Section 4915).  Failure to comply with Megan’s Law requirements can be charged as a felony and comes with mandatory jail time.   If you have been charged with a Megan’s Law offense or failure to comply with the Megan’s Law registration requirements, contact the criminal defense lawyers of Bickerton & Bickerton for a consulation.

What are the Megan’s Law Registration Requirements in Pennsylvania?

• Under Megan’s Law, defendants convicted of certain sexual charges are required to register with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  The following are the Megan’s Law  registration requirements:

• A defendant is required to register under Megan’s Law for ten years under the following circumstances:
  • Offenders who are convicted of one of the following offenses:
    • Kidnapping, where the victim is a minor (18 Pa. C.S.A. Section 2901)
    • Luring a Child into a Motor Vehicle (18 Pa. C.S.A. Section 2910)
    • Institutional Sexual Assault (18 Pa. C.S.A. Section 3124.2)
    • Indecent Assault where the offense is graded as a misdemeanor of the first degree or higher (18 Pa. C.S.A. Section 3126)
    • Incest, where the victim is 12 years of age or older but under 18 years of age (18 Pa. C.S.A. Section 4302)
    • Prostitution and related offenses, where the actor promotes the prostitution of a minor (18 Pa. C.S.A. Section 5902[b])
    • Obscene and other sexual materials and performances, where the victim is a minor (18 Pa. C.S.A. Section 5903[a] [3], [4], [5], or [6])
    • Sexual abuse of children (18 Pa. C.S.A. Section 6312)
    • Unlawful contact with minor (18 Pa. C.S.A. Section 6318)
    • Sexual exploitation of children (18 Pa. C.S.A. Section 6320)
  • Offenders convicted of an attempt to commit any of the offenses listed above
  • Offenders convicted in jurisdictions outside the Commonwealth of an equivalent offense listed under the 10-year registration and the offender:
    • Resides in the Commonwealth; or
    • Is employed or carries on a vocation in the Commonwealth; or
    • Is a student in the Commonwealth.

Note: Offenders convicted in other jurisdictions are subject to a period of registration equal to that of their jurisdiction of origin, but in no case will the registration period be less than ten years.  In other words, if the other jurisdiction has a period longer than Pennsylvania’s, the offender must register for the longer period.  In the period in the other jurisdiction is less than ten years, the offender must register for ten years.

• • Offenders paroled after the effective date of the statute for any of the offenses under the 10-year registration.
• A defendant is required to register for Megan’s Law for life under the following circumstances:
  • Offenders with two or more convictions of any of the offenses set forth under the 10-year registration.  These offenses include:
    • Rape (18 Pa. C.S.A. Section 3121)
    • Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse (18 Pa. C.S.A. Section 3123)
    • Sexual Assault (18 Pa. C.S.A. Section 3124.1)
    • Aggravated Indecent Assault (18 Pa. C.S.A. Section 3125)
    • Incest, where the victim is under 12 years of age (18 Pa. C.S.A. Section 4302)
  • Offenders designated by the court as Sexually Violent Predators
  • Offenders being released from a state or county correctional facility for any of the offenses under lifetime registration
  • Offenders convicted in jurisdictions outside the Commonwealth of an equivalent offense listed under lifetime registration and the offender:
    • Resides in the Commonwealth; or
    • Is employed or carries on a vocation in the Commonwealth; or
    • Is a student in the Commonwealth.
  • Offenders paroled after the effective date of the statute for any of the offenses under lifetime registration.