In a pair of decisions issued Monday, the New Jersey Supreme Court clarified how Megan’s Law applies to juvenile offenders, finding that the prong requiring a defendant to remain offense-free for 15 years before applying to terminate their obligation to register does not apply to those adjudicated delinquent in family court.
The New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously held, in IMO Registrant R.H.; IMO Registrant T.L., that the plain language of prong (f) of Megan’s Law requires a defendant to remain offense-free for 15 years. Chief Justice Stuart Rabner noted, in his written opinion for the court, that prong (f) applies to juveniles who are prosecuted as adults and convicted of a listed sex offense or released from a correctional facility. It does not apply to those adjudicated guilty in family court, according to the opinion.