Megan's Law Controversy in the UK
A new UK scheme will soon pass where three counties will apply Megan's Law, giving parent's the right to know how many sex offenders are living in their area. Currently, there is no scheme like this in the UK.
Megan's Law in the UK
Many officials don't think this is a good idea. They fear it will drive sex offenders underground away from the control of their parole officers. The law also gives single mother's the opportunity to check whether their new partner is a convicted sex offender.
What are your views on Megan's Law - good or bad?
Megan's Law in the UK
Many officials don't think this is a good idea. They fear it will drive sex offenders underground away from the control of their parole officers. The law also gives single mother's the opportunity to check whether their new partner is a convicted sex offender.
What are your views on Megan's Law - good or bad?
posted by Mila at 5:31 AM
NEW! 
5 Comments:
We've had something like this for awhile now. There is a website you can check (you input your address) and it will show you the addresses of sex offenders.
The only problem I have with this is how the law defines sex offender. In this country, if a 18 year old boy has consensual sex with his 17 year old girlfriend, he's a sex offender.
That's not right. I'm not saying I approve of sex at that age, they're both too immature to handle it. But, to have him suffer with a sex offender label his whole life? There have been cases where the "offender" went on to marry the "victim". LOL!
There are also cases of men who eased a call of nature in the woods at the golf course and some little kid saw it and reported them, and they're slapped with some kind of sex offender label. Hardly.
I don't know if I am against it, but I'm not exactly for it. I don't think knowing who's done it AND been caught before is going to completely protect our children.
Let's be serious and I don't want to put horrific pictures in any parents' minds, but there are far more lawbreakers than ever get caught. Knowing whose been through the penal system does not tell us all who our children should be weary of.
Our children need to be taught what is appropriate and what is not. They need to know all the proper names for the parts of their bodies and to communicate with us as parents. Sure, that sounds idealistic, but without that, our kids become prey to those who are offending the first time or who have just never been caught.
I believe that it has a great foundation. I wish that it more guidelines. As a victim, I think that their faces and addresses should be made available on the a website. We have that right. They lost theirs when they destroyed lives.
Thanks for your input ladies. I do think there are many, many offenders who aren't caught. It's a shame.
I do feel the punishment for some of these offenders is too lenient. Also the laws have to be defined better.
A few years ago there was a case here where a school caretaker killed two 11 year old girls. He should have never been employed with the school. However, the sad thing is he would probably have committed a similar crime even if he wasn't at the school.
Times have changed, and we have to be more vigilent with our kids than ever. Teaching them body parts and what to do in a case like this is great, but children can still be victims.
These offenders know how to manipulate even the most educated kids, which is why I think Megan's law can help in one way. In another, it will probably drive these people away from society and they won't change. In my opinion, they need to be locked up.
But have times really changed (i.e. more children being molested)? Or are families more open about cases like this (which I applaud greatly) and does the media add to it, by focusing on it?
I was watching a program while back and they were saying that U.S. child abduction statistics haven't really gone up, but the media gives us the perception that it has. As a result, parents seem to be more fearful than ever.
I'm definitely not saying we shouldn't be very concerned, but I think it's important to recognize that some of the fear we have is played on by media and even laws like Megan's Law.
And as another, totally unrelated, example. What about people's obsessions with germs today? Anti-bacterial this, a shot for that...it's a bit extreme. Are there really more germs today and is all the fear-mongering necessary? I guess for the ratings the media can get, the money the cleaning supply and drug companies can get, it is. :-(
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