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Megan's Law Essay

748 Words3 Pages

Megan's Law is a controversial law that requires sex offenders to register with law enforcement authorities upon their release from prison. The law was enacted in response to the sexual assault and murder of 7-year-old Megan Kanka by a neighbor who had twice been convicted of similar sex offenses and was on parole. The law requires offenders to provide their name, photograph, physical description, list of offenses, current address, place of employment or school, and automobile license plate number.In terms of the ideal characteristics of criminal law, Megan's Law can be seen as a positive step towards protecting public safety. The law aims to prevent future crimes by providing the public with information about convicted sex offenders in their …show more content…

They must provide their name, recent photograph, physical description, list of offenses for which they were convicted, current address, place of employment or school, and automobile license plate number. However, the extent of community notification varies across states. Some states require active community notification, such as notifying schools and day-care centers, while others make the information available only to the public. The national registry of sex offenders, established under the Pam Lyncher Sexual Offender Tracking and Identification Act, allows state officials to determine whether a job applicant at a day-care center or other sensitive positions is a registered sex offender in any of the participating …show more content…

Additionally, California has a law that allows citizens access to a CD-ROM with detailed information on sex offenders living in the state. The Pam Lyncher Sexual Offender Tracking and Identification Act, signed into law by President Clinton in 1996, called for a national registry of sex offenders, which allows state officials to submit queries and determine whether a job applicant at a day-care center is a registered sex offender in any of the participating states.Overall, communities have the right to be informed about the presence of sex offenders and take measures to protect themselves, such as avoiding contact with the offender or limiting their access to certain areas. However, it's worth noting that some states have more stringent laws than others when it comes to community notification and that the effectiveness of such laws in reducing the risk of recidivism among sex offenders remains a topic of

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