The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) supports forensic programs to assist state, county or municipal forensic crime laboratories, county district attorneys, medical examiners and county coroner’s improve the quality, timeliness and credibility of forensic science services to the criminal justice system. PCCD leverage funds to support these through limited Paul Coverdell National Forensic Science Improvement Act (NFSIA) funds administered by PCCD.
The Coverdell program is administered by the federal Bureau of Justice Assistance and is designed to improve the quality, timeliness, and credibility of forensic science services for criminal justice purposes. In general, NFSIA provides funding to crime laboratories and medical examiners’ offices through the State Administrating Agency, like PCCD based on population and crime statistics.
The program permits funding for expenses related to facilities, personnel, computerization, equipment, supplies, accreditation, certification, education, and training. NFSIA requires that states receiving a grant under the program use the award to carry out all or a substantial part of a program to improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science or medical examiner services in the state. Included are those services provided by laboratories or medical examiners’ offices operated by the state and those operated by units of local government within the state.
The goal of this PCCD initiative is to assist agencies in the improvement of forensic science operations. In order to reach this goal, the following objectives must be met:
- Reduction in the number of days between submission of a sample to a forensic science laboratory and delivery of test results to a requesting office or agency.
- Reduction in the number of backlogged forensic cases.
- Increase in the number of forensic science or medical examiner personnel who attend appropriate training or educational opportunities.
PA Sexual Offender Management
Welcome to the PA Sexual Offender Management site.
On December 20, 2011, Governor Corbett signed a bill to bring Pennsylvania into compliance with the federal Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. This site is committed to providing stakeholders with pertinent information on Pennsylvania’s efforts to comply with this Act. The major portions of this Act must be implemented by December 2012.
As we move forward toward implementation of this Act, the information on this site will be enhanced and provided to stakeholders as it becomes available.
**Content Last Updated 12/20/2012**
***"This website is for informational purposes only. Should you have a question regarding a specific statute, please seek the advice of counsel for your agency."***
Prior to completing a sexual offender registration, update, or verification on the PA SORT application,the registering official must clickon the "Appearance Dates" tab. Once on the tab, the user will see "Step 1 Create Report." After clicking on step 1, the user will be able to view and print the registration form. The user then see, "Step 2 Verify Offender Appearance" for existing offenders or "Step 2 Submit new Offender" for new registrants. The user must click step 2. The registering official is now done. (They will be reminded to proceed to a LiveScan device for new registrants.)
We've seen a significant number of sexual offenders processed using the PA SORT apllication where the registering officials are not clicking step 2. It is vitally important registering officials click step 2; otherwise, the sexual offender is not credited with ab appearance.
Captain Scott C. Price l Director, Operational Records Division
Pennsylvania State Police l Bureau of Records and Identification
1800 Elmerton Avenue l Hbg PA 17110
Phone: 717-772-2602 l Fax: 717-772-4073
scprice@pa.gov
The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act was signed into law on July 27, 2006 on the 25th anniversary of the abduction of six year old Adam Walsh from a Florida mall. It was later discovered that Adam had been murdered but the perpetrator, who later confessed, was never charged due to lost evidence.
This federal law, named in Adam’s honor, was passed in response to several egregious cases where children were abducted, sexually assaulted and murdered by sexual predators who were previously convicted of serious sexual violence offenses but, because of their state law at the time, were not required to register or provide notification to the community about their place of residence, business or schooling. Many believe that having such information would have empowered the community with knowledge and provided it with the ability to provide enhanced protection of the endangered children and other community members at risk of victimization.
Title I of the Adam Walsh Act is also known as the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
**Content Last Updated 5/14/2012**
***"This website is for informational purposes only. Should you have a question regarding a specific statute, please seek the advice of counsel for your agency."***
An Act amending Titles 18 (Crimes and Offenses), 23 (Domestic Relations), 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure), 44 (Law and Justice) and 61 (Prisons and Parole) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, extensively revising provisions relating to registration of sexual offenders pursuant to Federal mandate.
This ACT brings Pennsylvania into compliance with the federal Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 and closes gaps in Pennsylvania’s current Megan’s Law.
On December 20, 2011, Governor Tom Corbett signed Act 111, which modifies the Megan’s Law process to expectantly bring Pennsylvania into SORNA compliance.
The Act has implementations immediately, 60 days and 1 year.
60 day implementation included:
- Transient offenders must report (verify) every 30 days.
- Website must display Transient offenders with a mailing address.
- Email community notification will be enabled for the public to track identified addresses
The Act supersedes all previous versions of Megan’s Law Legislation.
The Act changes initial registration of sexual offenders to occur at time of sentencing.
The Act broadens the scope of offenses under which offenders could be determined to be an SVP.
The Act contains new data elements including vehicles operated, internet identifiers, professional licenses, and temporary lodging.
Changes in the following items must be reported in person within 3 business days:
- Name
- Residence
- Employment
- Status of enrollment as a student
- Telephone
- Vehicle
- Temporary lodging
- Email address or other internet identifiers
- Change in professional licensing
The Act expands the amount of information available to the public regarding registered sex offenders. Juveniles will not appear on the website unless they are tiered as SVDCs.
Current registration-related offenses for 10 years and lifetime registration under Megan's Law will expire on December 19, 2012. New registration periods of 15-year, 25-year, and lifetime registration will be effective.
- 42 Pa.C.S.A. Section 9799, et seq (PDF) (new law, codified in Pennsylvania Consolidated Statues Annotated)
- Act 111 (PDF) (original law passed December 2011, replacing the previous Megan's Law)
- Act 91 (amending Act 111, passed July 2012)
**Content Last Updated 1/3/2013**
***"This is for informational purposes only. Should you have a question regarding a specific statute, please seek the advice of counsel for your agency."***
The agencies listed below are cited in Act 111 as having the obligation for the registration and verification of sexual offenders:
- Pennsylvania State Police
- Department of Corrections
- County Jails
- Pennsylvania Board of Probation & Parole
- County Probation and Parole
- Chief Juvenile Probation Officers
- Department of Public Welfare Facilities
**Content Last Updated 5/14/2012**
***"This is for informational purposes only. Should you have a question regarding a specific statute, please seek the advice of counsel for your agency."***
- Tier I sexual offenders, convicted of the “least serious” offenses in this statutory scheme, are required to register for 15 years, and shall appear annually.
- Tier II sexual offenders are required to register for 25 years and shall appear semi-annually.
- Tier III sexual offenders are required to register for life, and shall appear quarterly.
- Sexually Violent Predators (SVP) who have been determined by the court, after evaluation by the Sexual Offenders Assessment Board, to have a mental abnormality or personality disorder that makes the person likely to engage in predatory sexually violent offenses, are required to register for life, and shall appear quarterly.
- Sexually Violent Delinquent Child (SVDC) is required to register for life, and shall appear quarterly.
- Juvenile adjudicated delinquent of 3121, 3123, or 3125 is required to register for life, and shall appear quarterly.
- Transient offenders under any tier must appear monthly.
**Content Last Updated 5/14/2012**
***"This website is for informational purposes only. Should you have a question regarding a specific statute, please seek the advice of counsel for your agency."***
What is New Offender Registration? New Offender Registration, or “registration”, is the process by which information about an offender, sentenced to one of the enumerated offenses requiring registration in Act 111 of 2011, is first entered into the PA SORT system. PA SORT is the statewide offender registry that was established to capture the information required to bring Pennsylvania into compliance with the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. The database maintains a complete and systematic index of all registering sexual offenders and is able to communicate with other state and federal offender registry systems.
When does registration occur? Registration is ordered at the time of sentence and generally occurs after conviction of an enumerated offense, completion of an offender assessment by the Sexual Offender Assessment Board and any ordered pre-sentence investigation, and subsequent to or as part of the sentencing process. It is the responsibility of each offender to comply with registration requirements and failure to do so will subject the offender to prosecution. Each county must establish a location and process by which offender registration will occur.
What occurs during registration? Registration involves scanning palm prints and fingerprints, photographing the offender, collecting DNA samples and entry of offender data into the PA SORT system. Data is then sent electronically to the Megan’s Law Section of the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) for validation and approval. The initial registration may take up to 1 ½ hours to complete but varies with each registrant.
What equipment is necessary? Each county must have an approved registration site accessible in order to complete an initial offender registration. An approved registration site will include a Livescan machine with palm printing capability along with a workstation with the necessary peripherals to capture a photograph, signature, and document scanning. Click on Equipment Standards for an itemized list of equipment needed at a registration site.
Who is responsible for registering offenders? Currently, the law cites various agencies with registration responsibilities including, but not limited to, County Adult and Chief Juvenile Probation Departments, Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, Pennsylvania State Police, and Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Refer to the Pennsylvania Statutes for the authoritative source on organizations with registration responsibilities.
**Content Last Updated 6/15/2012**
***"This website is for informational purposes only. Should you have a question regarding a specific statute, please seek the advice of counsel for your agency."***
What is verification? Verification is the process by which an offender validates initial registration information and is photographed to capture physical changes from the time of the original registration. It allows law enforcement officials and the community to keep track of the whereabouts of registered offenders and provides updated information about the offender to the community.
When does verification occur? Verification occurs after initial registration on a schedule determined by the Sex Offense Tier classifications. The period of time for verification purposes is generally calculated from the time of release from a correctional facility or the date parole or probation begins. The frequency and duration by which an offender must verify his/her information is mandated by the offender’s Tier designation.
If an offender fails to appear as required for scheduled verification, he/she will be designated as non-compliant and will be subject to prosecution.
What occurs during verification? During the verification process, offender data will be reviewed to determine if there are any changes and new information will be entered into the system. The offender will be photographed and must sign a document verifying information. If an offender does not appear for his/her scheduled verification, he/she will be designated as non-compliant.
What equipment is necessary? Equipment necessary for verification includes a computer with web access, a document scanner, a webcam and a signature pad. Verification may be performed and any county or state verification site approved by the Pennsylvania State Police. Click on Equipment Standards for an itemized list of equipment needed at a verification site.
Who is responsible for verifying offender information? It is the responsibility of each offender to know when and where they must appear to verify information. Each offender subject to registration and verification will be notified regarding the requirements of registration and verification at the time of sentencing. Within 30 days of a required verification date, the PSP will send written notice to the offender at their last known address alerting them to an upcoming verification date. The notice will remind the offender of responsibilities under this subchapter, including counseling in the case of sexually violent predators, and provide a list of approved registration sites. Failure of the PSP to send notice, or offender to receive notice, does not relieve an offender of the requirement to present at an approved verification site according to schedule for required verification. Additionally, the verification schedule does not relieve offenders of the responsibility to notify officials of changes in residence, school and employment at the time they occur, as required.
**Content Last Updated 6/15/2012**
***"This website is for informational purposes only. Should you have a question regarding a specific statute, please seek the advice of counsel for your agency."***
| Software | Hardware Registration | Hardware Verification |
|---|---|---|
| Internet Connection | LiveScan w/ Palm [Certified Equipment (PDF)] | * |
| CLEAN Connection | PC w/Operating System | PC w/Operating System |
| Internet Explorer version 7.0 or higher | Webcam (Driver, Software?) | Webcam (Driver, Software?) |
| Word viewer | Signature Pad (Driver, Software?) | Signature Pad (Driver, Software? |
| Adobe viewer | Scanner (Driver, Software?) | Scanner (Driver, Software?) |
| Excel viewer | Printer (Driver, Software?) | Printer (Driver, Software?) |
| SilverLight Addin (Microsoft) for photo capture | Photo Backdrop | Photo Backdrop |
| | Camera Stand | Camera Stand |
Security information for equipment and room specifications is governed by the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Security Policy and CLEAN Administrative Regulations. Both are very restrictive and mirror each other. To view these specifications, please consult the documents below:
- Additional Equipment Details (PDF)
- Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Security Policy (PDF)
- Pennsylvania State Police Regulations Version 4.7 / CLEAN Regulations (PDF)
* Please note verification sites do not require a LiveScan device. Fingerprints will only be required for initial registration or anytime the offender’s true identity is in question.
Description of equipment (PDF)
The question marks on the equipment standards are due to the fact that you may or may not need the software required with each output/input device. For instance, if the operating system has a driver you may not need to install any software.
**You must have 'Pennsylvania Justice Network', or 'Commonwealth Law Enforcement Assistance Network' Access.
****Content Last Updated 10/26/2012****
***"This website is for informational purposes only. Should you have a question regarding a specific statute, please seek the advice of counsel for your agency."***
The Advisory Panel had their kick off meeting on February 6, 2012. The board’s objective is stated below:
The purpose of this panel is to collaborate to successfully implement the requirements of Act 2011-111 in Pennsylvania by mitigating cost and finding solutions.” The sub-committees were discussed and will each begin meeting on a monthly basis.
The Advisory Panel will meet every quarter and it is comprised of representatives from many law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania. As stakeholders in the sexual offender process, the Advisory Board will advise and direct the Megan’s Law Modernization Project Team. The three sub-committees will meet monthly and deal with issues under their respective areas: Legal, Business and Information Technology (IT).
**Content Last Updated 6/12/2012**
***"This website is for informational purposes only. Should you have a question regarding a specific statute, please seek the advice of counsel for your agency."***
Online training is now available. To access the training please click on this Video Link
For PS Portal or CLEAN training call,
CLEAN Admin at 717-783-5575.
**Content Last Updated 1/2/2013**
***"This website is for informational purposes only. Should you have a question regarding a specific statute, please seek the advice of counsel for your agency."***