Megan's Law Will Not Keep You Informed

Parents nationwide have been under the false impression that they, too, would be notified of a resident sexual predator, because of the false assumption that New Jersey's state law is the same as each individual state's law. The federal version of Megan's Law is drastically different than New Jersey's version of Megan's Law. The federal law required all 50 states to release information to the public about known convicted sex offenders when it was necessary to protect their safety but did not mandate active notification. If a state failed to comply with minimal release of information standards established by the federal government, then that state risked losing federal crime-fighting funding. The federal mandate to release information to the public is often mistakenly referred to as community notification when, in actuality, the federal mandate requires just the release of information to the public - not active notification. There is a significant difference between simply releasing information (making it available for the public to access on its own) and active community notification, where law enforcement officers go door to door to inform neighbors and schools. The federal Megan's Law does not require all 50 states to enact active notification laws, whereas New Jersey's state Megan's Law has specific requirements for active community notification.

Posted by Sex Offenders Report