Megan's Law Research Paper

Butler and Roos 1

Steve Butler and Eric Roos
Ms. Johnson
Advanced English 10
14 January 2000
Megan's Law When people think of their neighbors, do they think of violent sex crime offenders? Many people have to deal with this every day of life. There are now laws that inform people of a community when a sex crime offender moves into their town. These laws are said to keep violent sex crime offenders from striking again, but do these laws really work is the question that many people ask? The answer all depends on the opinion of the person who is being asking. Many supporters say that the law is keeping sexually violent predators
In my opinion Megan's Law could and will stop sexually violent predators and child molesters from striking again ( Reno 36 )." The Attorney General of New Jersey, where the actual murder of Megan Kanka took place, also had much to input on this topic. He feels that if Megan's Law is implemented less Sex crimes will occur all over not just in small communities ( Verniero 1 ).Megan's law is not a law within itself. It is a provision of the Jacob Wetterling Act. There are also many other laws concerning child molesters and sexually violent predators such as the Pam Lyncher Act that also includes amendments to the Jacob Wetterling Act ( Reno 14 ). Megan's Law makes two changes in the Jacob Wetterling Act. It keeps the information given to the parole officers or the probation officers confidential to them, unless they feel that it is necessary knowledge for the public
( Reno 17 ).
Megan's Law was first introduced in the state of New Jersey by the Attorney General Peter Verniero because of the tragic deaths of Megan Kanka and Amanda Wengert. Three months after Megan's death on October 1, 1994, the governor of New Jersey, Christine Todd Whitman, signed an
" Why notification only about Sex crime offenders why not murderers and robbers" was a question asked by a spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties Union. Other criminals are just as dangerous as Sex crime offenders, why should only Sex crime offenders be subjected to discrimination ( Jerome 2 )? " Others debate that Megan's Law is ethical, there most definitely is a better sense of security especially because Sex crime offenders get scared off by the Law, and communities will become safer places to live ( Mader 1 )." The critics of Megan's Law are not in favor of letting sex crime offenders off the hook, but would rather see other approaches in reducing sex crimes ( Jerome 2). When looking at Megan's Law from the perspective of the sex crime offender, it is obvious that their lives will never be the same. One judge added, " This law would prevent offenders who had served time in jail from ever returning to a normal , private, law abiding life ( Mader 2)." Community notification scares sex crime offenders to death. Detective Casey Johnson of King County Police Department stated, " Offenders call me at all the time and ask where to go, where there are no notification