A Legal Warning
Use of information disclosed pursuant to Penal Code 290.4 for any of the following is prohibited:
(A) Health insurance.
(B) Insurance.
(C) Loans.
(D) Credit.
(E) Employment.
(F) Education, scholarships, or fellowships.
(G) Housing or accommodations.
(H) Benefits, privileges, or services provided by any business establishment.
Any person who uses information disclosed pursuant to this section to commit a felony shall be punished, in addition and consecutive to, any other punishment, by a five-year term of imprisonment in the state prison.
Any person who, without authorization, uses information disclosed pursuant to this section to commit a misdemeanor shall be subject to, in addition to any other penalty or fine imposed, a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) and not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000).
In addition:
Any person who copies, distributes, discloses, or receives this record or information from it, except as authorized by law, is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed six months or by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both.
California Attorney General Dan Lungren has stated that only the "mechanical" copying of the state's database would be illegal, and our hand-copying of information did not violate the law. In any event, the provision clearly appears to violate the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It is certainly possible, however, that a law enforcement agency could attempt to enforce the law as written.
Back to Megan's Law Page