Safer Communities Thanks To Megans Law

Curiosity runs amuck when a moving truck filled to capacity pulls up to the vacant home down the street

. Does this person have kids and a family, or is it just a single person? Where did they move from and why did they move here? Are they safe? Rightfully so, the surrounding neighbors are filled with interest when a new neighbor is settling in for the long run.

After July of 1994, many people would not only have curiosity as a moving truck passed through their street, stopping at the vacant home down the way, but also worry and concern. It was in July, 1994, when Megan Kanka was found sexually assaulted and murdered by her family neighbor- a convicted murderer and sex offender.

This, of course, outraged many people. Had the neighbors known just who was living on their streets, perhaps this could have been prevented. Because of this possibly aver-table outcome, Megan Law was introduced. This law gives concerned parents the ability to become more informed about the people living around them.

This law provides two kinds of informative services to the public- One is the sex offender registration. This is designed so that authorities are able to keep tabs on home life, work life, and other activities of sex offenders. Depending on the state and jurisdiction, there may be more or less restrictions. The second informative service is that of community notification. This also varies from state to state. This essentially notifies the community if an offender is moving in.

Under Megan Law, the sort of information, again, will vary depending on the state and jurisdiction. Many states have online access to a database where the public can search by the offenders name or zip code. Any information that is on the database is the last known information (hence the importance and stress that, as a condition of their parole, offenders must notify the authorities of any changes) as well as some information on the crime they were convicted of. Some other states only have this information available by going to a police station. The public has a limited amount of time in order to do research on the sex offender database.

Megan Law, with any law, has both upsides and downsides. However, through public consensus, the upsides far outweigh any downsides that Megan Law might produce. It is the goal with this law that families are able to become more aware and therefore make the neighborhood safer for their children. Through this law, it is no doubt that many other young lives may have been saved.

Disclaimer : This article is for informative purposes only not to provide any legal counseling

by: Frank M Smith

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