We Can Protect Ourselves from the Pedophile Across the Street Through Megan's Law
Megan's law, as it came to be called in April of 1996, was enacted in order to provide info and notification to communities when potentially dangerous pedophiles or sex offenders of any sort move into the neighborhood. Thanks to Megan's dedicated parents, every state now makes attempts to keep track of where sex offenders live and by doing this, the police are able to provide important information to the public. Some states even take it a step further by forcing convicted sex offenders to place a sign in their window indicating that they committed a sex crime.
Should sex offenders be forced to announce their past mistakes to the world? How could anyone even consider asking a question like that? The public has the right to obtain the knowledge needed to protect their children. Some may scream and complain that it's a violation of one's privacy. The plain and simple fact of the matter is when you violate another human being, in any shape or form, especially when it's a child, your rights should no longer be a priority or even recognized for that matter (to an extent). Although some states only require that a sex offender register, at least fourteen even state where a pedophile can and cannot live. The list of banned areas includes those that are near schools, parks and playgrounds. Fortunately, other areas where children are known to gather are considering similar restrictions.
Imagine the pain that little Megan's family has been forced to endure. Their daughter was more than likely allowed to roam around the neighborhood, like most little kids do, because her parents thought that their neighborhood was safe. They had no idea that not only one sex offender was living across the street, but three, all in one house. How could they have known? Before Megan's law was enacted, pedophiles and other sex offenders could easily slip into your neighborhood undetected because there was no way to track where they lived. Imagine what it's like to know that you could have protected your child if only you'd been aware of the potential danger lurking about.
Depending upon which state you live in, Megan's law makes it as easy as searching a website for familiar faces in and around your neighborhood that may seem suspicious to you, heading down to police headquarters to get information, or looking at a sign posted in your neighbors window. Of course the system is not fool proof, some predators slip through it by not registering. This act is a felony offense and is of course punishable by law. Before Megan, parents had no way of even trying to protect their children in their own neighborhoods. Now, they at least have the chance.
Published by Nicolette
nada View profile
- The Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public WebsiteEver wonder if that creepy neighbor is a Registerd Sex Offender? The Department of Justice can answer your question quickly, whatever state you live in.
- Sex Offender Collects on Massachusetts "Billion Dollar Blockbuster" LotteryConvicted sex offender, Daniel Snay, who won $10 Million in the Massachusetts "Billion Dollar Blockbuster" lottery has collected his first annual $500,000.000.
- Chelsea King Still Missing After Sex Offender John Albert Gardner Arrested in Poss...A 30-year-old registered sex offender was taken into custody by San Diego authorities at 4 p.m. Sunday at an Escondido restaurant. He was arrested for "possible involvement" in the disappearance of missing 17-year-old...
How One Registered Sex Offender Profits from His CrimeWhen a group of well meaning people wanted to get a convicted and registered sex offender out of their neighborhood, they actually "paid" him to move, starting a career of his p...- Finding Registered Sex Offenders Near Your HomeHow do you know where registered sex offenders in your neighborhood are? It's as easy as a simple check on a free website.
- Sex Offender Registration: The Hidden Secrets
- Sex Offenders: The Law, the Community, the Solution
- "Megan Wants a Millionaire" Canceled After Star, Ryan Jenkins, Turns Fugitive
- Jesse Timmendequas, Murderer of Seven Year-Old Megan Kanka, Escapes Death Penalty
- Why Megan Meier's Death Scares Me
- Are Sex Offender Registries Effective?
- Sex Offender in Columbus, OH Nabbed by Undercover Police
5 Comments
Post a CommentThis is beyond silly..."Before Megan, parents had no way of even trying to protect their children in their own neighborhoods"--really? I grew up pre-Megan's Law and parents did plenty to protect their children, mainly supervising them and telling them not to talk to strangers, etc. Most sex offenders are not pedophiles, most sex offenders do not recidivate, and most pedophiles are not violent, let alone killers. None of this is taken into account. Clinicians who actually work with sexual deviants know the truth: most pedophiles are not sociopaths, they are sad, emotionally stunted people, many times former victims themselves, who subjectively feel "in love" with prepubescent children the same way normal adults feel about other adults. Hatred of pedophiles is as irrational and unseemly as hatred of Alzheimer's patients or schizophrenics, and is almost always associated with low moral character or simple ignorance of the facts.
Look, I really do appreciate your feedback and being given the info that you provided. I simply didn't know for a fact that laws such as megan's law have actually caused more crimes because of the environment that it helps to create. But like I said, of course laws like these are not fool proof. Yes, we make mistakes even in an attempt to do what we think is right for our kids out of fear of what could happen. No i do not condone the crimes committed against anyone, including convicts (no matter what they did) and yes I realize that some that are on the pedophile websites are there unjustly so. I'm sorry but I believe that it's like saying don't assign a punishment to a person who with a reasonable doubt committed a crime because there were no witnesses ( Meaning that there is a tiny chance that they are innocent), no one would ever go to jail for their crimes if it worked that way or even close. I'm not saying that everything that happens is fair, i know it isn't, but what are we and
as young as FOUR YEARS OLD registered as sex offenders on the Megan's Law website of a certain state, and many more minors 14-17 registered thanks to the Adam Walsh Act. They're there for any pedophile to track down. If you don't believe me, then do the research.
The next time you want to rant about this topic, try thinking about the facts, then try convincing yourself "It's all for the kids".
offenders that finding the 4% of high-risk offenders is next to impossible. At least two states (New Jersey and California) have made rulings that state many sex offender laws further undermine Megan's Law.
Megan's Law began failing the moment the registry was made public. Very few people actually use the site, and there are forms available at every police office to find out the background of a person (if you don't feel like doing it online). Instead of protecting our children, it has eaten up valuable tax dolars and police time that could be used to patrol the streets and create programs that prevent these abominations from happening in the first place. People on the registry (whether they belong there or not) have been victimized and even murdered. The families of offenders have lost their jobs and suffered harassment and abuse because they're unofficially registered along with their relative.
Oh, and one last tidbit to make you get of your high horse:
There are children a
I'm apalled at your ignorance of the facts. First of all, the disrespect given to Megan Kanka is something we should all be ashamed of. Her family is leading a crusade that has done nothing to reduce child molestations and has (according to studies) actually CONTRIBUTED to it.
The facts are (according to actual research), sex offenders have a 3.5% recidivism rate. The only crime lower is murder. Most crimes have a 30-40% recidivism rate. Psychologists have stated on numerous occasions that these "feel-good" laws create an environment that increases the risk of reoffense. (6% of all sexual offenses are committed by a relative or close family friend. More than 90% of all sex crimes are by first-time offenders. Of all sex crimes, less than 10% involve children, and about 4% involve molestation.
Furthermore, Megan's Law websites are full of outdated material, including several false entries, incorrect addresses, etc. These sites are so bloated with bad data and non-threatening offend