What is a sex offender?

A sex offender is any person who resides, works or attends an institution of higher learning in the Commonwealth and who has been convicted of a sex offense, or who has been adjudicated as a youthful offender or as a delinquent juvenile by reason of a sex offense, or a person released from incarceration or parole or probation supervision or custody with the Department of Youth Services for such a conviction or adjudication, or a person who has been adjudicated a sexually dangerous person or a person released from civil commitment on or after August 1, 1981.

Obtaining information about sex offenders

 Any member of the public who is at least 18 years of age or older may request sex offender information. The information will be provided to any person who is seeking the information for his/her own protection or for the protection of a child under the age of 18 or for the protection of another person whom the requesting person has responsibility, care, or custody.
 

Two ways to obtain information about sex offenders

In Person

Information about sex offenders can be requested free of charge and in person from the Brockton Police Records Bureau 
Hour of Operation
Monday - Friday 9:00am - 3:00pm 

Online

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board has a website that provides answers to commonly asked questions and forms to get the information you want.
Their website is www.state.ma.us/sorb

From the State Web Site:

A person may request sex offender information by going to his/her local city or town police station. After presenting proper identification, the requester must fill out a sex offender request form containing:

1. The name and address of the requester.

2. Information may be requested in the following manners:

1. Inquire whether a specifically named individual or a person described by sufficient identifying information to allow the police to identify the individual is a sex offender; or
2. The requester may inquire whether any sex offenders live or work within the same city or town of a specific address, including, but not limited to, a residential address, business address, school, after school program, day care center, playground, recreational area or other identified address; or
3. The requester may inquire whether any sex offenders live or work at a specific street address within the city or town where the person is requesting sex offender information; or
4. Where the police department is located in a city or town with more than one zip code area, the inquiry may ask whether any sex offenders live or work within a specified zip code. In Boston such inquiry may be made by specified police district.

3. The reason for the request.

4. The date and time of the request.

If the request results in the identification of a sex offender, the police will distribute the offender’s name, home address, work address, age, sex, height, weight, eye and hair color, the sex offenses committed and the dates of conviction and/or adjudication and a photo of the offender, if available.

The information will be provided free of charge.

All information provided to the public will include language prohibiting the misuse of sex offender information for harassment or discriminatory purposes.

All records of inquiry will be kept confidential, except to assist or defend in a criminal prosecution.

The police will not release information identifying the victim by name, address or relation to the offender.

For copies of the form to request sex offender information from your Local Police Departments please visit our Forms and Publications page.

NOTE: Any information provided by either the police or the Sex Offender Registry Board will be limited only to offenders who have been finally classified by the Board as Level 2 or Level 3 offenders or Sexually Violent Predators. The law prohibits the Board and police departments from disseminating any information on a sex offender who has not been finally classified by the Board or who has been finally classified as a Level 1 offender.