Sociology

Childhood should be a time for fun, games and discovery, not abuse. Sex offenders have been and always will be a grave problem for the legal system. They have been around in this planet for many years and as a consequence, they have been marked for a lifetime because of their dirty deeds. Today, neighbors, towns and cities are being alerted every time there lives  a sexual predator among their midst. Some towns have responded by actively posting signs as to the location of the residence of the sexual predator while others responded with caution. The prejudice and judgment felt by the people towards these criminals are but understandable because they destroyed and violated the innocence and life of a child. As such, it is but right to instill awareness and protection in every community against the existence of a child molester living in their neighborhood.

A person is considered as a sex offender of he or she has been convicted of any sex-related crimes against any minor. Examples of these sex-related crimes are rape, sexual exploitation, abuse, incest, prostitution and other related offences. A person is also considered  sex offender when he or she committed any crime against children virtually as in the case of contributing child pornography, inappropriate communication with minors and other similar offense  (Criminal Law, 2009). The penalties for sex offenders vary depending on the gravity and nature of a crime. A sex offender may be convicted of misdemeanor or felony. He or she may be sentenced to serve some jail time but in some instances, payment of fines may be sufficient. A sex offender has also a number of restrictions that he or she must adhere to after conviction (Criminal Law, 2009).

For instance, the state of New York has a law entitled The Sex Offender Registration Act which defines a sex offender as any person who has been convicted of any offense set forth in this act. Section 168 of the Sex Offender Registration Act provides that a sex offender shall a. register at least then calendar days before his discharge, parole, release to pose-release supervision or release from any state or local correction facility, hospital or  institution where he or she was confined or committed, or, b. at the time sentence is imposed for any sex offender released on probation or discharged upon payment of a fine, or conditional or unconditional discharge, register with the division on a form prepared by the division (Division of Criminal Justice Services, n.d.).

The registration and public notification law regarding sex offenders differ from state to state. These registration laws were put into existence in order to provide assistance to the law enforcement officers when it comes to identifying potential criminals. The notification of the public serves as a warning about the presence of dangerous individuals. In some states, the information becomes available to the public through the Internet and other legal means while in other jurisdictions, the convicted sex offenders are being subjected to certain restrictions like housing, and other restrictions that are given to parolees and probationers. These sex offenders are required to give general information about themselves like their physical description, work, residence and other known aliases . They are also required to disclose the nature and extent of their criminal offense. In addition to these requirements, there are some states that prohibits these sexual predators to be near minors, day care centers or other places that would surely interest the children. They are forbidden to have any romantic relationships with people who have children and other similar kind of contact. Laws that safeguard people against sexual predators have been enacted for several years in some states like Washington and they have recently been adopted in all the fifty states after the passage of the Megan s Law in 1996 (National Center on Sexual Behavior of Youth, n.d.).

Megans Law is a federal law signed by former President Bill Clinton on 1996 authorizing local government agencies to give notice to the public about a convicted sex offender living, working or visiting their neighborhood. This law was given inspiration because of the case of a seven-year old girl named Megan Kanka. She was raped and killed by an unidentified child molester who just moved across the street from their home. Due to this horrible incident, the Kanka family deeply fought for the local communities to be warned about sex offenders lurking in the area (Montaldo, 2010).

Years after the enactment of the Megans law another law entitled Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act took effect in 2007. This law provides for new and uniform guidelines that a former sex offender must follow when it comes to registration in all the fifty states. Among the highlights of the law are the national former sex offender registry, standardized guidelines for registration in all states and a new criminal offenses that are related to sex offenders (Gov Tracker, 2006).

In the past decades, rape, sexual abuse and molestation has been the focus of the public concern. The National Crime Victimization Survey of the Department of Justice provides that approximately 500,000 rapes and assaults happen every year (Life Tips Center, n.d). Due to the gravity and perversity of sexual crimes in the country, it is but proper for the government to be strict in enforcing laws that would help the citizens sleep soundly at night. The right of the people to be informed if a sex offender is presently living or working in their neighborhood and the right of the children to be safe and protected far outweighs the rights of these sexual predators.