Megan’s Law: Does it Increase Parents Ability to Protect their Children Against Sexual Offenders?

Hollenbeck, Elizabeth (2008) Megan’s Law: Does it Increase Parents Ability to Protect their Children Against Sexual Offenders?. Masters, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Central Connecticut State University.

Abstract

Today, all 50 states in the United States of America have created a system of registration and notification for convicted sex offenders. These laws were quickly enacted in the past several years in response to horrific crimes against children that were committed by previously convicted and released sex offenders. These laws are predicated on the principle that sex offenders are often more dangerous than other criminal offenders because they have a greater likelihood of recidivating. It was widely believed that registration and community notification laws would assist law enforcement in investigations, deter sex offenders from committing new offenses, and present citizens with information they can use to better protect children from victimization. This study surveyed parents from four different elementary schools located in a selected New Jersey suburb during scheduled PTA meetings. The town the study was conducted in had a population of 22,930 people, 8,108 households, and 6,380 families (as of the census of 2000). In the town, most residents are married couples living together (68.5%) and most households (40.2%) had children under the age of 18 living with them. The median income for a household in the town is $80,939. Community notification laws are based in part on an assumption that letting people know about sex offenders living within close proximity, will reduce or prevent further sexual victimization. People are expected to act on the information provided by these laws, i.e. registration sites, written notifications, etc. This study surveyed parents to determine whether parents that are aware of the sex offender registry, exhibit behavior differently than if they lacked the information provided by the registry. For example, do they tell their children whom to avoid? Do parents supervise their children more carefully? Ultimately, if parents behave differently with this data, do Megan’s law and its notification systems increase a parent’s ability to protect their children against sex offenders? Results from the community survey indicate that there is a need for more public awareness around the subject of sex offenders and the dangers they pose. A significant finding was that most (66%) of parents do not even check the registry. The information provided by the sex offender registry was implemented in an effort to enhance public safety however, results from this survey highlight that the sex offender registry itself does not guarantee a parent checks the registry or even changes their behavior because of it. In fact, only half of the sample surveyed took extra safety precautions in order to better protect their children specifically from sexual offenders. Parents and members of the community need to be more educated. The sex offender registry is not helping those intended to receive assistance if they do not know what to do with the information disseminated.