Megan's Law
This may not be the type of issue you want to think about
but Michele feels strongly that being educated about your surroundings is
a parental responsibility. The information provided is from the NC state
registry and the Klaas Foundation regarding sex offenders.
*directed from: Klaaskids.org
Washington States 1990 Community Protection Act
included Americas first law authorizing public notification when dangerous sex
offenders are released into the community. However, it was the brutal 1994 rape
and murder of seven-year-old Megan Kanka that prompted the public demand for
broad based community notification. On May 17, 1996, President Clinton signed
Megan's Law. Megan's Law requires the following two components :
The 1994 Jacob Wetterling Act requires the States to register individuals
convicted of sex crimes against children. Sex offender registration laws are
necessary because:
- Sex offenders pose a high risk of
re-offending after release from custody;
- Protecting the public from sex
offenders is a primary governmental interest;
- The privacy interests of persons
convicted of sex offenses are less important than the governments interest
in public safety;
- Release of certain information
about sex offenders to public agencies and the general public will assist
in protecting the public safety.
Link to this site for North Carolina's Sex
Offender Database:
https://sbi.jus.state.nc.us/DOJHAHT/SOR/
2. Community Notification
Megan's Law allows the States discretion to establish criteria for disclosure,
but compels them to make private and personal information on registered sex
offenders available to the public. Community notification:
- Assists law enforcement in
investigations;
- Establishes legal grounds to hold
known offenders;
- Deters sex offenders from
committing new offenses;
- Offers citizens information they
can use to protect children from victimization.
Our interactive
Megans Law map is color coded to reflect Internet access of community
notification laws to better serve Americas evolving, fast paced, transient
society. Young parents considering day care providers or businesses and
organizations whose employees or volunteers have unsupervised access to
children require this critical information so that they can make informed
choices based on the best information available.
In order to remain
current and maintain relevance we ask the public to provide updated information
that we may have overlooked, including new, broken or invalid web links so that
the KlaasKids Foundation can continue to be the Internets premiere Megans Law
destination.
More from Klaas Kids
Organization
Http://www.klaaskids.org
"There are
only two lasting bequests we can give our children...
one is roots, the
other wings." by Stephen Covey