All parents are in their rights to be worried for the
potential sex offenders living in the neighborhood. While there are voices that
being able to search for the sex offenders in the area constitutes a clear
privacy violation for these individuals, the safety for your kids should be of
the highest priority.
Megan’s Law
Because of Megan's law, introduced in the 1990's after seven
year old Megan Kanka was sexually molested and murdered by a convicted sex
offender living across the street, convicted sex offenders are required to
register with local police so police can track their activity. The offender in
Megan's case invited the young girl into his home to play with a new puppy
before attacking her. Megan's parents later said they never would have let
their daughter outside alone had they known there was a twice convicted sex
offender across the street.
It is important to know that all convicted offenders are
required to register and make their whereabouts publicly known. However, not all
sexual offenders will be included in the registry; only convicted offenders are
required to register. If a person was a minor when he/she committed the crime, he/she will not have to register. Also, if an accused
sex assault criminal has accepted a plea deal after being charged with a crime,
the plea may include the defendant accepting a lesser charge that does not
require him or her register with the local police. Just because someone is not
on the registry does not mean that your children and family are safe; educate
yourselves and your family for any potential signs of troubles.
While
your concern as a parent is understandable, you should be reasonable in your
protective actions as well. Sex offenders cannot legally be forced to
leave a neighborhood because concerned parents and citizens do not feel
comfortable with them living in the area. Antagonizing registered offenders
will only create more problems. Feeling as though they are being attacked or
harassed may make a former offender act out, or they may leave the neighborhood
and not register in the next place they live. This leaves future neighborhoods
vulnerable to unknown sex offenders.
As long as sex offenders are not breaking any laws and
follow the rules set forth by their probation or parole officer, they have a
right to reside without harassment in a neighborhood.
Note that percentage of sex offenders, who is listed in the
system, also depends on the state you are living in: in Oregon, for example, it
is just 5%, in Washington state it is 30%, in California – 70%, and in Idaho –
100% (even those with the lowest level of offenses).
Safety Education
While checking the neighborhood for potential troublemakers
is always good idea, you should understand that the received information is
never complete, therefore the preventive measures and your kids’ education
should play most important role in averting the crime. Here what you can do:
- Teach children the
importance of not talking to strangers. Think about what you will say before
talking with your child.
- You don’t want to terrify
your children.
- You want to give your
kids factual information and skills to keep themselves safe.
- Educate children about the
charming approaches
where strangers
or occasionally more or less familiar neighbors may try to tempt them with
candy, pets,
toys, or
seeking
their goodwill to help find a lost puppy or child. Children need to know
it is not safe to go with a stranger and they should find their parent or other caregiver,
such as a baby-sitter or sibling, and tell them what happened.
- Have children who walk to
school or a friend’s
house plan a route to take which allows them to walk only on sidewalks. Do
not let them walk in the road and educate them never cut through someone's lawn or
driveway to save time.
- Know where your kids are at all times. Don't let
them play unsupervised in a public area — including around your
neighborhood or even your front yard, for that matter — for even a second.
A sex offender often needs just a small window of opportunity to lure
children away from sight and kidnap them. Children should come home
at a certain time that is well before the sun goes down. Children should
also know where they can go if there is trouble such as a friend’s house
or a police station.
- Don't drop your kids off without supervision in
places where kids congregate, like the mall, outdoor parks, school
playgrounds or video arcades. Child molesters know where kids like to hang
out; molesters tend to flock to those places too.
- Make sure your children know that there are
certain things adults should never be allowed to do. Explain to them that
they have the right not to be touched inappropriately by anyone, and give
them instructions on what to do in risky situations. Teach your
kids that they have the right to say NO to any unwelcome, uncomfortable,
or confusing touch or actions by others. Teach them to tell you
immediately if this happens. Reassure them that you are there to help and
it is okay to tell you anything.
- Children should learn to
dial 911 in case they need help from police. It is important that children
only dial 911 in a true emergency and not for fun. Knowing how to reach
help can save their life if used properly.
- Have children memorize
their home address and phone number in case they need to tell an adult
such as a police officer where they live. Smaller children should have
their home information written inside clothing and secured in backpacks
and suitcases.
- Listen to your children.
Pay attention if they tell you that they do not want to be with someone or
go somewhere. This may be an indication of more than a personality
conflict or lack of interest in the activity or event.
- If you are concerned about
an adult who may act suspicious or be involved in illegal activities, call
the appropriate authorities. If this person is employed by the school
system, call the principal of the school. If this person is a neighbor,
then call the police or department of corrections if you know they are
under supervision by a parole or probation officer.
- Also remember that in the
vast majority of cases (up to 90%), children are molested by someone they
know. Your efforts at keeping your child safe must be informed by this
fact and not focused exclusively on the danger that strangers may present.
Where to Check?
There are several websites, giving you opportunity to check
your area for residing convicted sex offenders. Among them:
- The Dru Sjodin National
Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW), coordinated by the U.S. Department of
Justice, is a cooperative effort between jurisdictions hosting public sex
offender registries (“Jurisdictions”) and the federal government and is
offered free of charge to the public. These Jurisdictions include the 50
states, U.S. Territories, the District of Columbia, and participating
tribes. The Website provides an advanced search tool that allows a user to
submit a single national query to obtain information about sex offenders;
a listing of public registry Web sites by state, territory, and tribe; and
information on sexual abuse education and prevention. Website: http://www.nsopw.gov/
- CriminalCheck.com is a
free National Sex Offender database site on the web that searches all
states (and the District of Columbia) with one-click. Performing a name
search a last name is all that is required to search the CriminalCheck.com
National Sex Offender database. You can refine of narrow your search by
adding a first or first & middle name. Zip Code search allows you to place
your zip code in the box to the left and click search. CriminalCheck.com
will search the National Sex Offender database for offenders registered in
this zip code. Zip code search is a very powerful tool because many sex
offenders now move away from the state where they were convicted. The
offender will register their new address in the conviction state but many states
don't require out-of-state offenders to register locally. Not all states
provide offender addresses (for privacy reasons): Nebraska, New Jersey, Rhode
Island, South Dakota, and Vermont. Website: http://www.criminalcheck.com/
- Family Watchdog is a free
service to help locate registered sex offenders in your area. The numeric
risk level indicates the level of risk a sex offender poses to the
community. A numeric risk level is assigned to each sex offender when the
offender is released from a penal institution or placed on community
supervision or juvenile probation. It is determined by using the sex
offender screening tool adopted by the Risk Assessment Review Committee.
There are three different risk levels:
- Level one (low):
indicates that the person poses a low danger to the community and will
not likely engage in criminal sexual conduct.
- Level two (moderate):
indicates that the person poses a moderate danger to the community and
may continue to engage in criminal sexual conduct.
- Level three (high):
indicates that the person poses a serious danger to the community and
will continue to engage in criminal sexual conduct.
Sources and Additional
Information:
