FAC Response to: Rasmussen Report: Jury’s Out on Whether Megan’s Law Is Protecting Children

In response to the recent report titled: Rasmussen Report: Jury’s Out on Whether Megan’s Law Is Protecting Children dated August 13, 2014 as reported on FOX34 News Lubbock, TX the following points are to be made:

1)      The registry does not address public safety as there are actually more dangers existing among the 95% or more of the population who are not on the registry.

2)       Tax dollars are better spent on family services and programs that WILL contribute to safety and prevention of abuse. Better services for families who are experiencing dysfunction will not only protect the children in the home but will also prevent young persons from leaving homes and becoming victims of sex trafficking.

3)      Not all of those on the registry are the same type of offender. In fact there can be over 100 types of offense that cause someone to be placed on the registry, many of which are not hands on offenses or offenses against children, the largest ‘selling point of misinformation’ of advocates of the registry.

4)      One specific category of registrant is for someone charged with possession of child pornography but has had not a role in either production or distribution. This is an offense growing at a 2500% rate according to the FBI.  There is very little correlation between possession and hands on offending, especially for someone with no prior history. The latest research clearly disputes current misconceptions and shows that the recidivism rate for this type of crime is among the lowest of any criminal category.

5)      The acceptance of ‘84% of American Adults favoring such a registry” is in conflict with the sentence: “Twenty years after going into effect, most Americans are not sure if Megan’s Law has actually done anything to reduce the number of children attacked by sex offenders, although they remain strongly supportive of a public registry for these criminals.”

 

In an article titled “Patty Wetterling questions sex offender laws”, written by Jennifer Bleyer, Wednesday, March 20, 2013 the following is reported: (Note The national registry law is named after her son, Jacob, who was abducted in the early 1990’s and has yet to be found. The Jacob Wetterling law established registry that was to be used as a tool for law enforcement agencies. Megan’s law was the act that made the registry public. The outspoken activist has a change of heart over the wide-reaching scope of laws she helped put into action.)

 

“There are nearly 750,000 registered sex offenders in America today, up 23 percent from six years ago. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent each year on registering, publicizing, tracking, and confining them. Since the Wetterling Act was passed in 1994, laws governing sex offenders have grown successively stricter and more far reaching. In many places, residency restrictions dictate that sex offenders cannot live within a certain distance from schools, playgrounds, daycare centers, parks, bus stops, and other places where children gather. Online registries broadcast the names and pictures of offenders, often without specifying the nature of their offenses. Juveniles treated as adults and labeled as sex offenders for acts involving other kids bear that stigma well into adulthood.

 

Virtually all the major laws regarding sex offenders have been passed in the wake of grisly, high profile crimes against kids and, like Megan’s Law, they bear victims’ names as somber memorials. The laws tend to fuel the impression that sex offenders are a uniform class of creepy strangers lurking in the shadows who are bound to attack children over and over again.”

 

A well-informed public is better equipped to support and advocate for well-informed policies. Center for Sex Offender Management Project of the U.S, Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs

 Findings from a National Public Opinion Poll In response to the survey question about what law makers act on when passing legislation they respond to what they THINK the public wants. But when the public is surveyed, they want laws based on empirical evidence! http://whatworks.csgjusticecenter.org

Dr. Kurt Bumby, presenter in the April 23, 2014 Webinar “An Overview of Sex Offender Reentry: Building a Foundation for Professionals “states a factual reality that should drive changes in the registry so the goal of increase public safety becomes a reality:

“The label sex offender implies all are the same. This is not so.  Backgrounds, dynamics, are to be taken into account.”

As citizens, our efforts should focus on the use of public resources to increase safety,, especially for our children. It is everyone’s responsibility to become well informed.