Study Shows Megan's Law is Ineffective

This is an old article that came out in February but I just came across again today. I thought others might have missed this when it first came out. Both Megan's Law and the Wetterling Act were the beginning steps to the registry as we are living with it today. More and more studies are coming out to show what we've felt for a long time that these laws do nothing to "save the children" and in fact may hurt some through unintended consequences (like the children of RFSOs) or the child who is offended against because of the offender's inability of finding stability when getting out of jail. The way the Registry has become used is as a form of public shaming much like they had in the Puritan days. Read Nathanial Hawthorn's Scarlet Letter for an eye opening story on this subject. As more and more evidence comes out against the effectiveness of the Registry and the costs to the country for maintaining them, we need to be ready with suggestions of other things that would be more effective. The powers that be will not simply repeal these useless laws, they will need to have a face saving plan to act on at the same time. I have been putting a lot of thought into this. Learning as much as I can on how to prevent Child Abuse, because isn't that all of ours concern? How do we prevent further child abuse? Let's all come together with our thoughts on this and come up with some ideas.
Link to the study here

Megan's Law ineffective, study says

By Adrienne Lu

Inquirer Trenton Bureau original article here

TRENTON - A federally funded study on Megan's Law in New Jersey has found that it does not deter first-time sex offenders or help prevent convicted sex offenders from re-offending.

The study is one of a limited number nationwide to empirically examine the impact of sex-offender registration and notification laws such as Megan's Law, which now can be found in every state.

The study's authors found that while sexual-offense rates have trended downward in New Jersey since 1994, the decrease cannot be attributed to Megan's Law. They also found that Megan's Law has had no significant effect on the length of time before a sex offender's first rearrest, the type of first-time sexual offense or re-offense, or on the overall number of victims involved in sexual offenses.

"It didn't change the type of offense that offenders committed when they did commit crimes, and it didn't change the number of victims," said Kristen Zgoba of the New Jersey Department of Corrections Research and Evaluation Unit, who was the principal investigator on the study.

The study, released Thursday, concludes that there is little evidence, despite the popularity of the sex-offender notification laws, that they are effective. The authors recommend that if further research confirms their findings, policymakers should consider alternative steps to reduce sex-offense rates, such as "mandated treatment of all sex offenders, potential use of polygraph testing, and intensive probation and parole supervision."

Philip Witt, a psychologist and the co-principal investigator of the study, said Megan's Law can "cut both ways."

On the one hand, some people may take better precautions to protect their children if they know there is a sex offender in the neighborhood. On the other hand, such laws can stigmatize sex offenders, placing them under greater stress, which can contribute to repeat offenses.

"In the end, both could happen and it's a wash, and the result is there's no change in the rate," Witt said.

Witt, who helped New Jersey implement Megan's Law, said sex-offender notification laws should be much more thoroughly researched to determine their effectiveness. But he is not ready to discount the laws.

"I'm not saying repeal it. I'm not saying it doesn't work," Witt said.

Megan's Law was named after Megan Kanka, a 7-year-old New Jersey girl who was raped and killed in 1994 by a convicted sex offender who lived in her neighborhood.

Kanka's mother, Maureen Kanka, says the laws were never intended to alter the behavior of sex offenders.

"It was to provide an awareness to the public, which it has done," Kanka said yesterday. "We never said it would stop them from going somewhere else and sexually abusing." She added: "Would having that knowledge have made a difference for my daughter? Absolutely. She'd have been alive and well."

Sen. Bill Baroni (R., Mercer) also said the study "completely misses the objective of Megan's Law."

Baroni said the law is a "tool that parents and other adults responsible for the welfare of children can utilize to ensure that every necessary measure is being used to safeguard children from an identified threat."

"Any attempt to use this study to weaken or erode Megan's Law will never succeed," added Baroni, who grew up and lives in Hamilton, Megan Kanka's hometown.

Instead, Baroni called for the Legislature to explore ways to keep predators off the streets, including longer prison terms, civil commitment, and electronic monitoring.

The study estimated the cost of implementing Megan's Law in 15 counties that responded to a survey to be $3.97 million per year, mostly attributed to additional staffing costs.

The study was funded by the National Institute of Justice and underwent four blind reviews through the institute, the authors said.

Under Megan's Law, when sex offenders move into a neighborhood, they must register on an Internet registry available to the public. For the sex offenders considered the most dangerous, police go door-to-door to notify residents.

Recent studies on sexual offender notification laws in New York and Arkansas reached similar conclusions.