A recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling that changes made to the state’s sex offender registration laws in 2012 could not be applied retroactively — along with the court’s finding that the registry is punitive — raises questions about the future of the state’s registry.
Ryan Tarkowski, a spokesman for the state police, which run the Megan’s Law website, said the court’s decision may result in the removal from the registry of sex-crime offenders who committed their crimes before the new version of the law took effect five years ago.
He called the ruling “a complex decision” that will “undoubtedly impact” mnagement of the registry.
Read more about the potential impacts of the decision here.