NEW JERSEY:  NEW JERSEY ISSUES NEW MEGAN’S LAW RULES

Under new guidelines for New Jersey's Megan's Law, it is required that anyone notified that a sex offender lives near their home or school to sign papers saying they will not disseminate the information.  Acting on orders from a federal judge, the state attorney general on Thursday issued the guidelines to make sure information about sex offenders isn't disseminated as widely.  The judge said sex offenders' privacy rights were being violated under the old system.  Megan's Law categorizes convicted sex offenders in three levels, based on the perceived danger they present.  For those offenders deemed most dangerous, the law allows prosecutors to disclose an offender's name, age and address, as well as his job and its location.  But the law says only people approved by a judge can see that information.  Under the new rules, in order to get that information people must sign a statement that says the material is confidential and that they will submit to the jurisdiction of the court.