Megans Law ?

Megans Law ?
L

Lloydy

Registrant
You guys probably have more experience of this law than us in the UK, But there is a campaign to get something similar here.
Does it work, or does it just drive the offenders deeper underground ?
Over here offenders and suspected offenders have been the subject of attack by vigilante groups, and some people later found innocent in a court of law have been seriously attacked and even killed.
I won't shed a tear over the guilty, but the prospect of vigilante groups being judge, jury and executioner isn't a good one, or is that a risk we have to accept ?
Lloydy
 
It's an imperfect approach to a problem with no solution. We don't have a Megans Law as much as we have 51 of them. None of which reach their goals completely.

What we do get is a reasonable attempt evaluation of who is more likely or less likely to re-offend as soon as nobody is looking. That makes for more efficient allocation of limited law enforcement resources. Unfortunately, in my humble opinion, that evaluation is often skewed by sensationalism and vengence.

I fear the biggest problem with it is public apathy. From my experience, the people who need the information most are least likely to seek it out.

The most effective application I've seen is when a community reaches out to the offender in support of his treatment. When everybody knows what the boundries and warning signs are, and are willing to intervene early, abuse can actually be prevented. Abuse can not exist without secrecy, isolation, and deception. What then happend when we approach Uncle Icky and say, "I havn't seen you around for a while and I'm woried about you. Why don't you come to the community picnic this Saturday as my guest."?
 
Well,there's common sense at play here. Two kids playing doctor ar'nt the same as an adult serial-predator. As regards serial-predators I'd forget about treatment. Just say do it again,you die. When he does it again,kill him. Problem solved.
 
Somehow I can't see people reaching out to help sex offenders, there are too many people out there reading tabloids and being whipped into a frenzy, others that are just ignorant and bigoted, and then there's the angry with good reason people, and there's plenty of those here on this site.
Also I doubt the "expert" judgement on those likely to re-offend. I believe it's well established that sex offenders are amongst the highest re-offenders and that they are also the best liars in their defence.
I don't know what the answer is, but if they must be in the community then they must be watched like hawks, by authority not vigilantes. Other than that lock them up for a very, very long time.
Lloydy
 
Megan's Laws only work to prevent abuse by those who ever get caught and convicted. There are many perpetrators who are sly enough to NEVER get caught (at least mine, anyways, after 30 some odd years). So for the ones who are dumb enough to get caught, Megan's Law helps. Supreme Court is about to strike it down as violating civil rights of the perpetrator. American Civil Liberties Union loves this kind of crap. Too bad ACLU doesn't give a shit about the civil liberties of those of us sucked off and jerked off to the point of pain at the "age of reason" of 8 years old. Once again, the perpetrator becomes the "victim", and the true victim is re-victimized
 
Well,the Thing is in fact the murder of a child. I'm witness to that. So there's no compassion from my side of the issue. Child molesters should be hunted & killed with impunity. And the family members and lawyers that support them. Don't believ me? Take a poll of the common folks out there. Go ahead,ask.
 
Tinfoil
It's going to be the gut "reaction of the mob" that's for sure, but in a civilized society can we let it happen ? who decides who lives or dies ?
We haven't had the death penalty here for many years, and we still have our share of serial killers and psycopaths that surely deserve a slow painful end.
But we have also had many people released from our prisons who would have been hung in recent history, people who are patently innocent or who's crimes were not as evil as judged at the time. Mentally backward people who had killed in a rage when taunted.
It's a fine line, who gets the rope- who doesn't. What level of crime warrants the ultimate punishment ?
I have no compassion or pity for the evil amongst us, I wouldn't piss on child abusers if they were on fire. But I have trouble with making these decisions, or my "elected" representitives, making them for me. It's nothing to do with forgivness or religion either, I just don't want to be a part of killing others- however remotely.
So I guess they have to be controlled, and I don't like them in the community, which is why asked about Megan's Law. I haven't seen a scrap of evidence that sex offenders can be cured, so I don't want one next door to me. what's left ? Lock them up for life, not in any cosy prison with tv and pool tables but somewhere grim, somewhere to suffer in their memories.
Lloydy
 
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