Megans Law - Protection More Important than Privacy Essay -- Argument

Megans police force - shield More Important than PrivacyIn 1994, twice-convicted sex offender Jesse Timmendequas outrage and murdered Megan Kanka, a s nonetheless-year old girl who lived across the street. In reception to this emotionally-charged crime, Megans home state of New Jersey ratified a community of interests nonification bill - dubbed Megans Law - just three months later. This fall, a discipline version of the law went into effect, mandating that all fifty states notify citizens in typography of the presence of convicted sex offenders within their communities. Certainly, corporation has a righteousness to cheer children from sex offenders, and many come up that Megans Law is the best course of action. However, others feel that it is an unwarranted intrusion into the rights to privacy of someones who have already paid their debts to society. Megan Kanka should nonoperational be alive today, and, as a society, we have an undeniable responsibility to keep such tra gedies from taking place in the future. We must not merely respond when sex crimes occur nevertheless must, instead, take an diligent role in preventing them in the first place. Megans Law is an effective test by legislators to help us achieve this goal. Indeed, it helps to prevent these crimes by protect children, our most defenseless citizens, from those who are most likely to endanger them.Megans Law operates under(a) the logic that responsible parents, once notified that a designated high take chances sex offender lives nearby, will be able to prevent their children from fair the victims of another attack. One of its primary motivations is the high recidivism rate associated with crimes of sexual molestation. Without even considering the large number of sex offenses that go unreported each ye... ...nity. For this reason, under the Freedom of Information Act of 1974, criminal records are a subject field of public record. Megans Law can be thought of as a logical extension of this Act, channeling information to those who need it most. Criminal records have to be brought to light where the well-being of others is at stake. Privacy is a valuable privilege, but it is not a right which overrides the common effectual of our society.In the end, the tump over over Megans law reduces to one issue how can we best gibe the safety of our children and the security of our communities? Because of the extremely high recidivism rate associated with sex crimes, because society has a duty to protect those who can not protect themselves, and because concerns for the good of our society as a whole outweigh any individual right to privacy, it is imperative that Megans Law be maintained.