PROOF OF CONCEPT — full quality-of-life profile for New Jersey, 16 dimensions of the sex-offense registry regime. Ratings are researcher judgments from the registrant's perspective; each links its statute. NOT legal advice.
Weighted burden index 42.5/100 · rank 33 of 56 (1 = least burdensome) · 10/16 dimensions statute-verified · 1 unverified.
Legend: 🟢 favorable (less burden) · 🟠 moderate · 🔴 restrictive · ℹ️ context · ⚪ unknown. ✓ = statute-verified.
| Dimension | Rating | Detail | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration length | 🔴 restrictive | Lifetime baseline; discretionary 15-yr termination application exists but 2C:7-2(g) bars it permanently for many offenses — lifetime | 2C:7-2f.,g. ✓ |
| Removal / petition off | 🟠 moderate | Superior Court petition to terminate 15 yrs after conviction/release if offense-free and no threat; barred for aggravated/repeat offenses under (g) — ⚑ needs human review | 2C:7-2f.,g. ✓ |
| Individualized risk assessment | 🔴 restrictive | No — state does not use risk assessment for tier assignment | n/a |
| In-person reporting frequency | 🟠 moderate | In-person every 90 days or yearly | 2C:7-2e |
| Registration fee | 🟢 favorable | No state-mandated registration fee (2C:7 imposes none) | n/a ✓ |
| Residency restriction | 🟢 favorable | No statewide statutory residency restriction — NJ Megan's Law (2C:7) imposes none; where restrictions exist they come from local ordinances — local: Municipalities have historically enacted local residency ordinances; no statewide statutory ban | 2C:7 (none) ✓ |
| Employment restriction | 🔴 restrictive | Restriction relating to youth-serving organizations | 2C:7-23 |
| Presence / loitering restriction | 🟢 favorable | No statewide statutory presence/loitering ban — NJ Megan's Law registration statute (2C:7-2) is an information-reporting duty only and imposes no restriction on where registrants may be present; any location limits come from local ordinances or individual supervision | 2C:7-2 ✓ |
| Visitor registration trigger | 🟠 moderate | Implied 10 days; never spelled out if just visiting | 2C:7-2 c.(3),(5),(6),(7) |
| Internet identifiers required | 🟢 favorable | Not required — 2C:7-4 registration statement enumerates fields (name, SSN, physical description, residence, employment, school, criminal history, fingerprints) with no internet identifiers or email addresses | 2C:7-4 ✓ |
| Civil commitment | 🔴 restrictive | Civil commitment statutes cited (exist) | 30:4-27.25; 30:4-123.91 |
| Public website exposure | 🟠 moderate | Tier 1 (low risk) excluded from the public internet registry; only Tier 2 (with limits) and Tier 3 posted — lowest tier withheld | 2C:7-13 ✓ |
| Halloween / holiday restriction | ⚪ unknown | No statutory Halloween/holiday restriction located; any restriction would be a parole/supervision ('Operation Halloween') condition, not confirmed from a read source | n/a |
| Marked driver's license / ID | 🟢 favorable | State-issued ID / driver's license is NOT labeled or branded for registrants | n/a ✓ |
| Community notification (& who pays) | 🟠 moderate | Tiered Megan's Law notification — Tier 1 (low) law enforcement only; Tier 2 (moderate) schools/day cares/youth orgs; Tier 3 (high) public; active only for higher tiers | 2C:7-8 ✓ |
| Age of consent (context) | ℹ️ context | 16 — with close-in-age exception (13–15 y/o victim is sexual assault where actor is 4+ years older) | 2C:14-2 ✓ |
Source wiki page: New Jersey · compare with others via the index. Weighted index from the v1 model (weighted_score.py); weights encode NARSOL's judgment about everyday lived burden. Removal ratings and the weights need NARSOL/attorney sign-off before authoritative use.