Source: click2houston.com 5/17/23
On May 17, 1996, President Bill Clinton signed legislation requiring law enforcement officials to release information about convicted sex offenders. This became known as Megan’s Law.
Several laws, including the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act of 1994 were passed before Megan’s Law was brought to the White House.
Funny how the article states: “ Later, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that information about potential predators may be publicly posted online.” What about the information that was made public for those who are not a predator? People who looked at images, were caught in a sting, had a Romeo and Juliet relationship, had an Indecent Exposure offense that did not even involve a child? Obviously Megan’s Law was never intended for those types of offenses. It has exploded and is far from being just administrative, especially it was never intended for the majority of the offenses that are now on a public shaming list. It is time for a complete overhaul, meaning abolishment. There is no administrative aspect when it comes to Megan’s Law and the Registry. It is pure punishment! When it was first deemed merely administrative, it did not have all the restrictions that were later added without due process.
I liken to registry to segregation. Segregation was permitted, allowed and encouraged, until it became a problem, and a rightful problem it was. Then the Supreme Court had to step in and put a stop to what was clearly unconstitutional. Today we have the registry and all aspects of sex offenses (i.e. Lifetime parole) that has all been lumped in together against all people unfortunate enough to have been caught up on these cases. The entire scheme has morphed into something that clearly was not the intent of those who wanted it in the first place, but it is an outlet for people to hate, feel noble and allow their ego to swell while claiming they are above everyone else in their noble pursuit of protecting little children.
Yeah we all know the story of what happened in New Jersey. But as other people on this site have pointed out, that’s the same as holding everybody with similar sexual proclivities accountable for what one person did. That is completely unfair, nonsensical, and ultimately unconstitutional. The fact they include a mechanism for removal and review doesn’t help their case in my mind.
If these laws were protecting children from predators the author clearly forgot to mention the positive results during the last 27 years. I’ve seen the laws that were intended to protect children have now ensnared children into the criminal injustice system because the legislature added more crimes to the registry. Bravo for ruining lives based on lies that never protected anyone except politicians’ elections and law enforcement budgets.
I think all the BS rulings that allow the registry to exist is why so many states are now trying to criminalize none criminal acts like Drag Queen Story Hour and everything else revolving around LGBTQ. While also passing laws, like FL, that’s are mandating Ten Commands to be displayed in public schools.
I think it is funny. I mean ask yourself, how has the registry stopped sex crimes in general? They haven’t. They are only there to create drama for politicians.
The best thing the guy from crime stopper said is to check the registry regularly as there are a lot of transient PFRs. That is not the fault of the PFR but of the laws that dictate where and where not they can live.
Oh, of course, all the underreported alleged crimes that have been stopped because of Megan, et al is immeasurable and is thus the real value of the damn thing…that is what I expect some stooge to say when they are espousing such drivel like those that @Will Allen castigates daily here. For the love of whatever or whoever you want loved, the damn thing does not do a positive damn thing.
God forbid evidence is produced to factually prove the statements. The internet and child safety all in the same breath?
I sure one state moved to keep children under 13 the hell off the internet. A database can prevent interpersonal crimes? Pure fantasy is what that is. Or are they collecting data for collecting sake alone?
Young people (far younger than many adults today would be comfortable with) have likely gotten themselves involved in exploratory and sexual situations for much of human history. A good portion of these would fall out of the area of being consensual as conceptualized in various parts of the world today. For those thinking there’s some universal agreement on consent, what’s sexual and what’s not, and when anyone should be allowed to do any number of things in life, they are in for a shocking revelation. One clear fact that’s come up is dealing with something afterwards does little to nothing to address it happened in the first place.
Being reactionary is all well and good up to a point. Pretending a reaction is the solution just creates more problems later. I get that a small percentage of people will go to extremes to get what they want and there’s little chance of doing much to prevent them from acting. That doesn’t mean society should not reduce the frequency it is likely to occur in the first place so more resources are available to address real problems as they develop. Megan’s Law is another example of people not understanding what they are dealing with and deciding it’s best to focus on the aftermath of events rather than precursors to them.
Should be called “M3gan’s” law, because a cold, demented, killer robot would support these dehumanizing concepts. There are no specifics (or even allusions) to how these laws actually protect children or prevent sexual abuse, (beyond wishful thinking that “all the bad guys are now accounted for…do with this information what you will.”), while the unmitigated damage and destruction they cause only continues to increase in magnitude.
I have read before that the Kankas knew that a “sex offender” lived in the house where Megan was murdered.
I just now happened to be looking at the oncefallen website and saw this – https://oncefallen.com/would-megans-law-have-saved-megan/. There is a lot of information there.
Regardless, it doesn’t matter if the Kankas knew or not. The fact is if Megan had gone to any other house, the exact same thing could have happened. It has happened. There is no need to pretend that knowing about a handful of people who were dangerous years and decades ago, lessens danger at all. That is just a wishful fantasy.
Registries increase danger to everyone. I guarantee it.
What a delusional woman Maureen Kanka is. She actually believes that this law- named after her daughter – will somehow prevent the same thing from happening to another mom. That’s magical thinking at best.
American media needs to stop rewarding and promoting victim culture.