Anger over Megan's Law website grows

[emad]

The Independent
By John Hiscock in Los Angeles
21 January 2005


A move to expand an online database of sex offenders to include rapists and pornographers is facing mounting opposition in California.

The state's Department of Justice put up a website last month listing the names and whereabouts of 63,000 sex offenders, but some legislators believe it is not enough. The Bill which approved the online database is known as Megan's Law, named after Megan Kanka, a seven-year-old murdered in 1994 by a serial sex offender who, unknown to Megan's family, lived across the street.

The database gives home addresses for 33,500 of the more serious offenders while the rest are listed by postal codes, community or county. Names, photographs, physical descriptions and offences are listed along with maps indicating elementary schools, parks and other sensitive areas.

The website has received more than a million hits since it was launched in December, although advocacy groups say thousands of names are missing and the site does not allow searching by characteristics such as scars and tattoos or criminal predilection - flashing, voyeurism or abduction.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=603010

[patcox2]

1. Ironically, the Kanka's were in fact aware of the offender on their block.

This was reported in the New Jersey Law Journal, after Kanka had become a public figure and started her professional career as a "megans law" advocate. She did know.

[UL_Approved]

3. Find the link, please

THAT deserves a post. THAT would be a good point against all of this stuff. Most people don't know that kind of stuff.

[patcox2]

21. I don't think the Law Journal has a website thats accessible.

But it was the front page story in the law journal (the publication of the (nj bar association). Because it went against the "crusading mother of murdered girl fighting for protection against predators" bandwagon, the rest of the newspapers in New Jersey didn't even pick it up.

[patcox2]

22. Here is a link, with internal links with more.

http://www.ncianet.org/stories/polnirr97.html

[leftofcool]

2. No problem with child molesters being listed but...........

listing pornographers is going a bit too far unless they deal in child porn.

Left of Cool

[Freddie Stubbs]

23. Apperently this bill would only apply to CHILD pornography

Under legislation proposed by Jim Battin, a state senator, the database will be expanded to include people convicted of spousal rape, incest, child pornography or certain types of indecent exposure involving children, all of whom, he said, pose a risk to the public.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=603010

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Occulus]

5. I doubt you'd like it so much if

it were your address on one of those lists, like mine is. And no, I've never been accused, tried, or convicted of any sex crime.

Figure out why I'm on such a list. What's the one way a totally innocent person's residence can legally be added to such a list, even though they did nothing and were never accused, tried, or convicted?

Take a guess; I'll keep refreshing and read your response.

[IA_Seth]

6. oooh ooh pick me pick me

Do you rent to a sex offender?

Hmmm.... why else?

Did you marry a sex offender?

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jdj]

25. and now many databases only include class 3 offenders.

those "working their way up" to class 3 can do it on their neighbors kids without fear of being found out until it is too late.

I am so, so sorry about what happened to your child.

[Occulus]

13. DINGDINGDING!

Yes, if you even live with one, your address is on those lists too- and how does anyone know who anyone is when the person they're driving past is going into the house?

Florida is even better. They get to put a sign in their yards, and (I think) bumperstickers on their cars. Now, I don't know about you, but if someone living with a convicted sex offender gets subjected to the same punishments, even though they're innocent, well, it used to be unconstitutional for that to happen, but.................

The sick part is, I can't advocate against the registry because it calls attention to the fact that I live with someone who is on one (for, by the way, doing something the "victim" himself testified occurred when the "offender" was asleep. Figure that one out for us; we're still stumped).

[eternalburn]

27. I understand completely...

My address is also listed because I live with a registered sex offender. I do not make excuses or explainations for my partners past. He has not offended in the 20 years since his conviction but that will never matter.

The necessity for the list is because sex offenders are repeat offenders, unlike murderers, thieves, arsonists, or drunk drivers (please note: the above statement is dripping with sarcasm).

My thought is, how long until there are lists for everything? A lists of murderers, thieves, arsonists, liars, adulterers, divorced, those whom have had abortions, or anything that happens to light the fancy of the powers that be.

Lists get dangerous, especially when the requirements for getting added to the list get more inclusive.

[Redstone]

7. I'll guess...

You were accused, but not by a prosecutor; you were smeared by your ex-wife during a divorce or child-custody battle.

this stuff happens a lot.

Reddstone

[Occulus]

8. Nope.

Nice guess, though.

[makhno]

11. Same name? Same SSN?

[Occulus]

14. read post #13 n/t

[makhno]

10. Just keep them locked up for life

Society apparently thinks that rehabilitation is impossible for sex offenders (now to include consumers of pornography). Why then impose sentences shorter than life?

How did "you do the crime, you do the time" evolve into the absurdity of the current arbitrary (no lists for white-collar conmen?) feel-good, save-the-children laws.

[Occulus]

15. Another thing society doesn't understand

is how smart kids are, and how ridiculously easy it is for them to make false accusations- particularly when they're constantly being told to tell someone if an adult touches them inappropriately. I'm not saying it's wrong to try to stop child sexual abuse- far from it. But we do need to make a concerted effort in each and every single case to weed out false accusations and put in place legal protections for people who are accused and pending trial as well as people who are shown to be innocent or even wrongly accused when the case goes to trial. The stigma of such an accusation or conviction is a truly life-destroying event, for the exact reason you stated in your post: society apparently thinks sex offenders cannot be rehabilitated.

Pity those accused falsely of these crimes. Their productive lives are effectively quite over.

[Wisc Badger]

17. I am very sorry that you have been damaged by this law

but I can tell you from personal experience that it worked the other way 40 years ago.

Then a father could do anyting and the authorities would look the other way, or just figure it was a family matter.

I know I experienced it. It leaves a mark on you trust me.

And I have found out that it was a damm sight more prevelant in the 50's and 60's than any one wants to admit.

[progressivebydesign]

20. Absolutely. After I grew up I found out about friends who were molested..

.. by their fathers for years. You have no idea what goes on in people's houses.

[Occulus]

35. Yes, I had some of the same

it was purely psychological, so I know nothing of what it means to experience sexual abuse. That said, there is no medium of any kind between the two situations you mentioned: on the one hand, occasional overprosecution; on the other, unkown and silent victims. How do we solve this problem?

We need a foolproof method of detecting falsehood. Until we have that, these crimes are occasionally wrongly prosecuted. Or, the other hand: completely ignored/unknown. So again- what's the solution?

edit: laws directed at criminals are never, ever supposed to harm in any way innocent parties. That's guilt and punishment by association. My neighbors don't have their name on a list, and I'm innocent too. Why do *I* get mine on a list, but not them?

[Old Mouse]

32. Strong truth there

False accusation does not just end ones' career, blacks in America were still lynched throughout the 1960's on just an unsubstantiated accusation of rape.

When dealing with this sort of subject many people quickly subscribe to the backward attitude "better 100 innocent men be punished than 1 guilty man go free"

[htuttle]

26. There's an excellent idea in there -- if a little off topic

A list of people convicted of white-collar financial crimes would be a VERY valuable resource for those getting involved in a new business venture, corporate contract, etc...

Won't happen, though, since we mollycoddle our con artists here in the US. Hell, we even elect them to be president!

[makhno]

28. Indeed

IMO, these types of people represent just as much of a danger to society as the sex offenders. Perhaps even more, as their crimes have a built-in "serial" component due to the ease with which great numbers of victims can be brought into felonious schemes (c.f. S&L scandals).

But, as you say, it is the perp's class and not the social impact of the crime that matters in what's supposed to be a citizens' republic. And that's why we have Megan's Law but no Enron Victims' Law.

[daleo]

31. Don't tell them they are bipedal

It will blow their minds - no telling what they might do.

On edit - sorry, this actually applies to the post below, regarding beating up pediatricians.

[zbdent]

12. They better make sure the info is accurate

a bunch of red-state freeptards beat up a pediatrician because "he was so vile, he advertised it!"

[Fleshdancer]

16. This is a very tough issue for me

Obviously I wouldn't want incorrect information on these lists nor would I want to know that some 18 year old guy had consential sex with his 17 year old girlfriend, but on a deep emotional level, I like the concept of these lists a lot.

This contridicts my feeling of unease concerning the rights of people who already paid for their crime. I don't agree with constantly re-punishing individuals. But then I come back to the actual crime and it's hard to get past the emotion...which shouldn't be a valid reason for interfering with someone else's civil liberties, but it's still there regardless. Basically, this topic SUCKS for me!

Sometimes you just don't know. I get annoyed when I don't have a clear answer for myself.

[progressivebydesign]

19. If you look at the sites, you'll see that they clearly define the levels..

.. there are degrees of offender classification. You can pretty much easily know what type of crime, what type of danger there is. It's not just a lump of names and addresses.

[Fleshdancer]

24. The site for my county wasn't very clear

I'll check again,but I went through a list for my county recently (a link was provided on DU a few weeks ago so I got curious and checked it out)

For many of the people on the list, a lot of information wasn't provided so I had no idea what their offender classification was. For the ones that did have some info provide, the majority of them had "victim's age" listed at either 16 or 17 so I didn't know if it was a statutory rape charge or rape. :shrug: I only saw one who's victim's age was that of a child. Fortunately he didn't live close.

[Occulus]

36. What about the people who live with them?

To some, I'm "guilty by contamination." This directly harms my reputation as an innocent person.

It's my address too. Am I supposed to move, or boot him out?

Why should I do either? I have an expectation to be protected from official punishment, given I have not committed a crime.

I'm against these lists because of the actual damage they do to persons related to the offender. It's a stigma that doesn't go away once it's discovered.

[Fleshdancer]

39. well of course

Are family members listed as well? The site I saw only had the people (hopefully) that were charged with a crime. Regardless, like I said before, I have problems with the lists.

[AliciaKeyedUp]

40. Sorry, but you are choosing to live with him

The punishment is his. You are embracing it as part of the total package that is him.

[progressivebydesign]

18. Rapists? Fine.. They deserve whatever shit they get.

Pornographers? Unless they are breaking a law, then why would they be listed? I just read an incredible series on pornography. The people who get charged with felonies related to pornography are criminals.. not your standard pornography types. Trust me.. you don't want them in your neighborhood. To be charged with enough to put you on that list, relating to pornography, is WAAAYY intense.

Hey.. you house a rapist or a child molester, then tough luck, you're on the list.

[Midlodemocrat]

29. I think the lists

only report people who were involved in child pornography, which is illegal, where just run of the mill porn is not.

I think these lists are a great idea. I want to know who is moving in down the street from me. I wouldn't want to be in the position that Megan Kanka's parents were in.

Just my $.02

[Name removed]

33. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Midlodemocrat]

34. Are you kidding?

You honestly equate knowing someone's political persuasion with knowing whether or not a convicted pedophile is living near you?

Crimes against children are heinous and I can't believe that someone would advocate against these types of lists.

[Occulus]

37. I'll say it again: you would if you lived with one

Neither my name nor my address belong on a list. I have committed NO crime. Yet, if someone knows where I live, they can see that I live with a sex offender.

I'm innocent. I have an equal expectation of protection under the laws as my neighbor, who does not live with a sex offender. This is an equal protection issue to me; because I live with a sex offender, I am less equal under the law than my neighbor: my address is on a list of criminals and theirs is not.

My innocence and the fact I live with an offender is not addressed under the legislation we're talking about. If it were, I suppose I *could* be listed as an "innocent second party" or some such... but then, who would know which was which from a distance? Does the law expect me to tolerate insults and possible assault upon my property simply because I live with someone convicted of a crime?

This is not hypothetical here; I am actually innocent and my own address is actually on a sex offender's registry, and it makes me bitterly angry. THIS IS NOT RIGHT.

[Midlodemocrat]

38. While I can appreciate your situation

...I do approve of the lists, especially the states' lists that list pedophiles.

I frankly wouldn't have cared if a rapist moved in next door to me when my children were little, because I feel that as an adult, I can take care of myself. However, now that they are older, it would matter.

While I do feel sorry for you in your situation, I think that your case is probably a very rare scenario and that all in all the lists provide a valuable service to the public.

[alarimer]

42. It isn't right

I don't approve of these lists but your situation never occurred to me as another reason for opposing these lists. I think they are unconstitutional, a form of double jeopardy. Perhaps, as someone else mentioned, jail terms for child molesters need to be much longer than they are.

[Old Mouse]

30. This is a MISTAKE

Megan's law was conceived for law enforcement to be able to track offenders who are likely to molest or attack again. However, the practical effect of giving the public access to this information is to deny the offender a place to live or work until he is driven underground and homeless... untraceable and desperate, a greater threat to society than he was in the first place.

For example, the homeless population of Pioneer Square in Seattle contains a frighteningly large proportion of high risk sex offenders. This does NOT mean the police know where to find an individual they are looking for in regard to an open case. It means most of the offenders in the database are listed as "no known address".

Exposing this database to the public does little other than fueling peoples' voyeuristic, paranoid and vigilantist tendencies.

[Clyde Bruckman]

41. I think the databases are helpful and should be expanded

I wonder where the Independent got the headline about "anger over Megan's Law website grows." The only opposition detailed in the article is from defense lawyers (that's a surprise) and mention of property values, presumably from people living in the vicinity of convicted sex offenders.

[superconnected]

43. I think it should include rapists, but exact addresses are going to far

postal codes will do.