Has the International Megan’s Law impacted your life?
Then please take part in this study.
Why:
- The academic and policy literature on International Megan’s Law (IML) is missing the voices of those whose mobility is impacted.
- This study will add a qualitative analysis of lived experiences to the debate about disproportionate systems of punishment and their unintended consequences on citizens’ rights and livelihoods.
Who:
Seeking accounts of challenges with post-IML international travel from:
- Registered citizens
- Families of registered citizens
- Lawyers and social workers who have worked with the two groups above
Details:
- You will take part in a 30-60 minute online interview.
- You will be asked about you/your family/your client’s experiences with travelling after the introduction of IML.
- Your answers will be confidential and fully anonymized.
- The online interview can be conducted with video on or off.
How to participate:
Send an email to g.lee1@students.uu.nl indicating your interest and participation preferences by April 30, 2021.
i refuse to travel internationally because I couldn’t bear the pain and embarrassment my children and wife will suffer if I am turned around once we land. IML,It’s punishment no matter how they present it.
Ok, this is great news. I hope and pray this is legitimately being looked into. I would encourage the scores of people that have been suddenly separated from family in a foreign country, denied access to complete international business, loss of airfare and travel expense, the humiliation, the stress, and outright fear of being separated form your loved one’s in a foreign country and having your phone taken from you. This is nothing short of totalitarian persecution.
Can you u do it if you have traveled yet? It has caused a lot of fear and distress for us already. It’s almost like we are gambling. Buy a $1000 ticket.. you may or may not be turned away..
Thanks for posting this notice. I have just sent him/her/them an email to volunteer. 👍
I will participate in this study. It should produce good data for Governments to work with…I hope.
Best Wishes, James I
Interesting this is from a university in the Netherlands. The American ways are being researched overseas. Like to see the final report when done with a copy sent to Rep Smith, D-NJ if in the traveler’s favor and not his.
This study seems to presume the following: When assessing the direct effects of the IML, the only criterium considered to be valid is the actual experience of those registered citizens who have actually traveled internationally, to the exclusion of all others.
If this IS the premise, it is flawed, in my opinion. When studying direct effects of the IML on registered citizens, the study should expand the criteria to include those who have chosen NOT TO TRAVEL as a result of the potential collateral consequences created by the IML (e.g., social and personal shame, public humiliation, effects on family members, potential economic loss, etc.) I suspect that there are a significant number of registered citizens who fall into this category.
Think of a study that considers the new voting laws recently passed in the state of Georgia. “Let’s interview just those who actually voted in the election to assess these new laws. Let’s exclude all those who did not vote, or could not vote, due to the restrictions imposed by these laws.” See?
The results of a ‘limited’ study such as this, as referenced above, carry the potential, either intentionally or otherwise, to be used as a weapon against those seeking to overturn the law. As an example: “Our study conclusively indicates that only a small percentage of registered offenders traveling internationally report a negative experience as a result of the conditions set forth by the IML….blah blah blah”
I now envision a young government lawyer hauling such a study out in front of the likes of Alito, Roberts, Sotomayor, Thomas, et al., proclaiming authoritatively: “See? Even the experts who have studied this issue have proven that the IML causes no harm”. Shades of McKune v Lile (“frightening and high risk of recidivism”), and Smith v Doe (s.o. registry is designed to protect public safety and is not a punishment.)
cc. g.lee1@students.uu.nl
Count me in, I was effected by the IML
prior to 2015 I’ve traveled to Jamaica with not a single problem, also traveled to Canada, I heard the beep after passport was scanned, went to secondary for about 20 minutes & on my way, also traveled to Mexico many many times, even though Mexico was not supposed to allow, but was mainly sent to secondary upon return for about 15 minutes & on my way & not once did I receive any type of notification stating I’m not permitted or banned, but in 2016 I wanted to travel to Asia, I heard some where able to pass & some weren’t, I even called the embassy & he mentioned there’s no problem *wrong* I purchased ticket & upon arrival in Hanoi I wasn’t let in, long story short I was banned from entering as long as I’m registered, so my b-day is July 31st & able to petition 24 years on registry, so I would be able to get off, so I will wait for removal from the courts, double check with local police, apply for passport & see results
I hope all sides of IML are included in the study. Registrants, spouses, children and loved ones, friends, and business networks overseas need to involved showing the impact of this law.
Never heard of any registrant going overseas to commit sex crimes, including trafficking. However facts don’t matter to the good ole United States of Opinions!!
IML
A law presumably to protect foreign nationals by notice on their own soil from visiting American citizens who may engage in criminal activities involving their children. We have big problems in our own country! Maybe we aught to work on that instead of spending time and money doing IML.
OBVIOUSLY somebody figured out how to make a buck.
A solid clue to what IML regime is really about can be had by examining the structure of the program, it’s financing and the location of its headquarters.
Traveling overseas is a waste of time and money if you have a girlfriend and you guys go on vacation and u get separated and you get sent back to US most likely that relationship is over.
To protect my wife and children from Megan’s law I had to divorced my wife after 7 years
and moved out to a lilittle apartment in downtown riverside my wife at the time didn’t understand why I was leaving she thought I blamed her for being labeled a sex offenders from what happened to us in high school but that wasn’t it
Then she thought I was cheating on her with another woman but that wasn’t it ether I had to explain to her over and over that our kids are get older and becoming lilittle adults and I can’t let my past effect their chances at having a normal life .
I have 3 kids and nether of them has ever had friends come over or play dates or do typical children stuff because I was labeled a sex offender
I even noticed that my outlook on Society because of IML was starting to rub off on them I noticed them becoming anti social and shy so I left.
I’m still in my children’s lives thank GOD we only live 15 minutes away form each other my ex wife/victim and I get along great my kids know about me and their mom’s situation in high school and how I ended up on the hit list .
It’s sad all the shit people go through because of IML hopefully next year when I turn 39 I’m able to go free because 21 years of this bullshiit takes a toll on you.
Good luck 😬👌
Supporters of any registry end up biting themselves. They want people to get on with their lives for the sake of not rocking the boat and at the same time they make it hard to do so. People would get back to their lives if there weren’t such a legal mess to go through. They made a ridiculous and wasteful system that does N O T H I N G.
“And for that reason I’m out”
I keep reading on how people can’t enter this country or that country but nothing about their family. So I will say something. You are all worried about not getting into other countries? How about not hearing from your family for 5 years like what I am going through. Because of IML and the AWA, I have not heard from my Philippine wife or my two girls in 5 YEARS. I don’t even know where they are or what happened. My last phone conversation was 5 years ago when I was told to take care of myself by my wife. Then all phone numbers changed and e mail addresses. I was released from the New York State registry in March of 2016. But I still can’t get into the Philippines due to an extended Visa I did in 2013. Philippine immigration law is you have to wait 10 years before you can petition the immigration bureau to have your name removed from the blacklist for moral turpitude. I thank the good ol US embassy for telling the Philippines of my registry. So you want to know how IML and AWA affected me? All it did was inject me with insane HATE
What is the point of this study? This web site right here is full of anonymous first person reports of the repercussion of IML. One only needs to copy and paste for a qualitative analysis.
Sure, it would be nice to help Ms. Lee write her thesis or academic paper, but if you believe for one second that a study (from a student? from the Netherlands, no less) will make any difference at all, I have a bridge to sell you. There are dozens of studies from reputable academics (i.e. Ellman, Carpenter, etc) in the US, even from official US Government agencies (i.e. CDCR), that the registry is flawed, if not useless. Makes no difference at all.
This here “The academic and policy literature on International Megan’s Law (IML) is missing the voices of those whose mobility is impacted.” is backwards.
It should be “The actual International Megan’s Law (IML) is missing the, any basis whatsoever for existing in the first place”. That is a paper worth writing.
And someone please break it to Ms. Lee that none of this is punishment.
Does IML cover non-US citizens that do not have a US passport? I’m a Green Card holder, never got deported for fed CP charge. The US has no power over my foreign passport, so I feel that I should have no problems. Is there anyone in the same boat as me and has traveled?
I am glad Grace is vetting potential participants first so the data is not skewed in the best of events by those who are not people forced to register and have the marked passport, but want to do harm to the study. Oh yeah, that is a real concern.
I just completed my Zoom call with Grace for this project of hers. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend trying to set up a time to give her your feedback–even if you’ve not traveled due to IML. She wants to hear about that, too.
Howe do we get the results of the post affects of their surveys of IML ??