The above quote isn’t mine, and I would give attribution except that I don’t know who originally said it, but it is so true. Dead kids usually make for emotional, broad brush laws that do more harm than good. I know that in NJ we feel proud of ourselves that we are the state that pioneered the sex-offender registry called Megan’s Law, the law that arose from tragedy in 1994, when 7-year-old Megan Kanka of Hamilton Township was raped and killed by Jesse Timmendeques, a neighbor. But anytime tragedy befalls a child, we have to think very carefully before we come up with some law that might potentially save “just one child” but also might potentially ruin many, many lives (as has happened in the case of the Megan’s law registry). Full Article
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“Saving one child” cannot in any way be justified if the same laws lead to the deaths of multiple adults on a registry. NO and NO again. What happened to the girl was a tragedy, but enabling MANY ruined lives because it just might save (whatever ‘save’ means exactly, save from death or save from inappropriate physical contact?) is not in any logical way justifiable. A human life = human life (irrespective of age)
NO form of inappropriate sexual contact is worth someone dying, who may be on the registry. Any inappropriate physical contact will NEVER be worse than murder, which is the act of taking someone’s life away and permanently destroying lives of the remaining family members. Those vigilantes who nearly killed or killed people on the registry should walk off of the nearest 100-story ledge. Now THAT would be justice for humanity.
Dead kids are profitable to the non-profits who use those kids’ names.
How many of the non-profit leaders drive nice cars and have nice homes as a direct result of dead children?
I bet all of them. I hope God is real and watching and I hope the end is near.
Great article!!!
Good article!
The terribly tragic case of the murder of Meghan Kanka should be known as a total failure of the justice system. The Meghan’s law was enacted to try to cover up that failure. The man was convicted once and released, violated probation and was given a few months. he was convicted on a second sex crime and was given only six years in which he was defiant, rebellious and uncooperative. All his counselors gave him terrible reviews and one wrote that she expected him to reoffend, but he was released in spite of all their warnings. His third offense was the killing of 7 year old Meghan. He was in his home and lured her into his home. How would having him on a registry have stopped this? He still would have been living there, the child would still have been tricked, the event would likely have been the same. This man NEVER should have been out. The justice system totally failed. Now, every person with a minor offense, people who paid their debt decades ago, people who did non-contact offenses, people who have proved themselves over and over again are still labeled, scorned and reviled as if they were this same sick individual. Half of all sex offenders never touched anyone, most did a minor offense, most will never reoffend, but most are unable to have normal relationships with a partner, find nice housing, or employment do to the absurd overreaction to the failure of the justice system in this case. NJ should not be proud of Meghan’s Law, they should try to find out what went wrong in this case and why this dangerous criminal was out walking the streets.
It’s never wise to honor any legacy of someone’s tragedy by passing laws under a victim’s name, because that shows of not letting go and wanting act out on emotions and do all kinds of cowardly things.
“Dead kids usually make for emotional, broad brush laws that do more harm than good.”
E.g., Jacob Wetterling.
Boo!
….