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Megan's Law
Megan's Laws are named after seven-year-old Megan Kanka, who was kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and murdered by a man who had two prior convictions for sexual offenses. The murderer had moved in across the street from Megan's family, which was unaware of his past history.
The killer was living in the Kansas community without anyone in the neighborhood having knowledge of his past convictions or his predatory behavior toward children. In the Kankas' case no knowledge meant any protection. Megan was a beautiful little girl whose life was cut far too short. It was a senseless murder in a perceived "safe" community.
Megan's Law is designed to provide information and notification to communities when a potentially dangerous sex offender moves into the neighborhood. The nature of the notification varies significantly from state to state, and even sometimes from community to community within a state. However, as a result of the system, every state now attempts to keep track of the residence of sex offenders, and to provide information to the public.
The creation of this law serves the purpose of ensuring the safety of individuals, such as Megan Kanka. Seven-year-old Megan lived in a New Jersey town where she was raped and murdered. The Kankas felt that it was important to decrease the frequency of rape and signed a petition to pass the law. In September of 2004, the state legislatures processed Megan's Law.
The most commonly raised concern about Megan's Laws relate to fears of vigilantism, when neighbors learn of a sex offender's presence and decide to either drive him out of the neighborhood or cause him physical harm. These fears are not without basis, but to date incidents of vigilantism are not common.
In response to doubts about the legality and morality of this bill, proponents of the bill are determined to make America's children safe at any cost even if that means limiting the offender's rights. They believe that certain crimes merit close supervision, not just by the police, but by the whole community. And that supervision should continue for a very long time - quite possibly for life. They concede that it puts a lot of continued pressure on the convicted sex offender but allege it will limit their opportunities rather than providing unknowing victims for their sick, predatory behavior.
Finally, particularly with regard to registries, there is concern that some people who do not pose any danger to the public are included in the registries. For example, some states require registration for "statutory rape" offenses, even where the offender is close in age to the victim, and the sexual activity was consensual. While society has the right to protect children and teenagers from sexual predation through "statutory rape" laws, and there is no significant controversy over requiring offenders to register when the victim is significantly younger, there is a legitimate question as to whether every high school student who is convicted of a statutory offense with a younger peer should be named for decades on a public sex offender registry.
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