HONOLULU -- The Hawaii sex-offender registry went back online Monday afternoon with information on those convicted of felony or multiple sex offenses.

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VIDEO: Sex Offender Registry Goes Back Online Sex Offender Registry

On its first day up, the Hawaii sex offender registry listed just three names. Pictures of the sex offenders are posted. Residents can find out if one is living nearby.

Web users can also type in the name of someone suspected of be a convicted sex offender.

The state was forced to shut down the registry in November 2001 after the state Supreme Court found the law that allowed the site was unconstitutional. Now, the process has started to give each offender a required court hearing before his or her name is put on the list.

"Ultimately, our goal is to have every single sex offender in the state of Hawaii back on the registry so the people can look at them," Deputy Attorney General Kurt Spohn said.

There is a backlog of almost 2,000 offenders entitled to hearings. The hearings could take seven years to complete. The state hopes a constitutional amendment on the ballot this November will allow certain offenders to be put on the list without a court hearing.

Many are glad the registry is back.

"I think it is a good thing. People should be able to check to see if a sex offender is moving into their neighborhood or is in their neighborhood," social worker Roger Petticord said.

"I am actually glad that its back up since this information is quite important. This information will be important for me as a single woman or for families," University of Hawaii graduate student I-Chia Shih said.

The Attorney General's office said the first three men on the list were easier to track down to offer hearings because they are incarcerated.

A new Supreme Court ruling may also effect making public the names because if allows offenders to sue to take their names off the list.