LA California Sex Offenders

What is California?s Megan?s Law?

California?s Megan?s Law is a law that allows the public access to information on registered sex offenders via the Internet. For over 50 years, offenders have been required to register with their local law enforcement agencies. The relatively new (since 2004) law makes this information more easily accessible (as easy as an online search on your computer).

The California database contains over 63,000 offenders. However, not every sex offender in California will appear on the California Megan's Law website as approximately 25% of registered offenders are excluded from public disclosure by law. Each State in the U.S. has some form of Megan?s law in place.

Intention of Megan?s Law

To arm local communities and parents with information through which they can protect themselves and their children from rapists, child molesters and other sex offenders. The intention is not to punish the offenders by ?outing? them but to give people in the community some control and peace of mind by providing them with valuable information through an instant channel. Users of the database are not to use it to harass or commit harm against the sex offender(s).

Who is on the California sex offenders list?

The list includes perpetrators of sexual battery, rape, assault to commit rape, kidnapping, murder, aggravated sexual assault, sodomy, incest, lewd and lascivious acts on children and minors, acts of indecent exposure, sexual exploitation, soliciting, and so on.

How to Use the Megan?s Law Sex Offenders Registry Online

1. Start on the Megan?s Law disclaimer page, read the statement, check the box if you agree and hit ?enter.?
2. You now have the option to search by: name, address, city, zip code, county, or via parks or schools. Select one and when applicable, type in the requested search criteria.
3. You may then click on: ?View Map? or ?View Listing.?
4. If you choose ?View Map? you will see a map with squares placed on it which either identify a single sex offender in the area or a region with more than one offender.
5. If you choose ?View Listing? you will see a page listing sex offenders in the area with names, photos and addresses of the offenders.
6. Check marks beside names indicate that the person is in violation of their registration requirements.
7. You may click on an individual listing to see more information on the registrant.
8. Each ?file? on each sex offender contains a tabbed navigation which is set to the registrant?s physical description and location page by default. Click on other tabs such as ?Offenses,? ?Scars/Mars/Tattoos,? and ?Known Aliases? for additional information.
9. If you have relevant information on any of the registrants you can click on ?Report Information to DOJ? (accessible from the ?Description? tab). This will direct you to an empty box where you can type in the info, as well as your name, phone number and email address, and submit.

What kind of information is available on these sex offenders online?

• Name
• Gender
• Photo
• Address
• Date of birth
• Height
• Weight
• Eye color
• Hair color
• Ethnicity
• Offense description
• Scars, marking or tattoos on the registrant
• Known aliases of the offender

The California Megan?s Law Sex Offenders Debate

For:

• ?Helps reduce crimes by making communities a safer place to live
• Notification can reduce the odds of being sexually assaulted
• Law could scare sex offenders into committing another act again
• Awareness is the greatest tool parents have for protecting their children

?Against:

• ?The most effective crime prevention strategy is re-integration into society
• ?Unethical and unconstitutional?
• Some sex offenders may never stop committing crimes but some will
• ?Question as to whether the law and information really does help achieve security
• Even if neighbors know of an offender he/she can still offend in another town or state

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Source: http://losangeles.about.com/od/educationgovernment/a/sexoffendersLA.htm

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