Sex Offender Registration: The Hidden Secrets

Newspapers across the nation and around the world are filled with the unspeakable accounts of young people being abducted, sexually abused, and in some cases murdered. These reports have caused parents and guardians of children to be concerned for the safety of their children but many have a false sense of security because they believe that if a sex offender moves into the neighborhood, police will beat on the door announcing the offender's presence. The truth is that most people will not even receive a letter.

You may be frantically thinking, "Wait a minute! What about Megan's Law? Doesn't that authorize someone to let me know about a convicted sex offender living near me?"

Yes, it does authorize that information to be released.

The federal version of Megan's Law was signed on May 17, 1996, by President Bill Clinton. While this law does require every state to release information about sexual predators, it does not require law enforcement to actively notify the community with any information about sex offenders living in the area. They are only required to make the information available and it is up to each state to define how the information is supplied.

Many states have searchable sex offender databases online, some have a sex offender list, and some require a phone call before information is released. It is nearly always up to the members of the community to request that information.

The sex offender registries are a very important resource but there are things that you may not know about the registration process and the information about the offenders who have committed sex related crimes.

In the United States there are almost half a million sex offenders whose crimes were serious enough to require them to register in the state where their offenses occurred or in the community where they reside. More than half of all convicted sex offenders are not behind bars but are living in our neighborhoods after being paroled or signing a probation agreement.