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Child Protection

9 replies

HelenMyers · 20/07/2006 08:35

Does anyone know if you can get a list of offenders living in your area so as to proactively avoid certain areas with children. I know Sarah's Law hasn't come in yet and my local authority can't help either. thanks

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NotQuiteCockney · 20/07/2006 08:36

No, you can't get this. Not least because it would lead to people going around to beat people up (or their neighbours or whomever they could find).

Your children are at much greater risk from friends and family, anyway. Stranger risk is the same as it's ever been - low.

aragon · 20/07/2006 08:39

Hi helen,

As far as I know you can't get this. It's just best to be alert to everyone around your child - including those you know and trust. I think plans are afoot to give people an idea of numbers of offenders but more identifying details will not be given to prevent witchhunts and driving the offenders underground where they can't be monitored.

HelenMyers · 20/07/2006 08:48

I understand what you're saying but on the programme aired a week or so ago, they proved that over the 7 years they'd had Sarah's law (equivalent) in USA that offenses on children had dropped by 16% and that people had NOT taken it upon themselves to beat people up etc.. Obviously vigilence is paramount. Thanks for your help

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julienetmum · 20/07/2006 13:50

This information is confidential and should remain so or we are going into very dangerous territory with regards to human rights.

There has already been vigilante action often in cases of mistaken identity. Locally to me a young student endured a hate campaign becasue rumours spread she was Maxine Carr (she looked nothing like) and there have been similar instances.

NotQuiteCockney · 20/07/2006 13:51

What program was this?

This wiki page on Sarah's law says there have been vigilante cases associated with Megan's law.

NotQuiteCockney · 20/07/2006 13:54

Hmm, and the NSPCC doesn't think there's any evidence that Megan's law is making any difference. (It's not proven that it's not working, either, though.)

LeahE · 20/07/2006 14:38

The U.S. federal Megan's Law came in ten years ago, not seven. And over that period all the crime figures have dropped -- for example, in 1996 the property crime rate was 4,451 per 100000 inhabitants and in 2004 it was 3,517.1 per 100000 inhabitants. That's a drop of nearly 21%. So if your 16% figure is accurate then offences on children didn't drop by nearly as much as other categories of offences.

Meanwhile, in the U.S. the number of convicted sex offenders who are registered with the authorities (so that someone knows who they are, police can keep an eye on them, etc.) is 80% (in the UK it's 97%). That means that one in five sex offenders in the US no one has the faintest idea where they are or is monitoring them in any way.

I don't know where your documentary got its figures from. Research suggests that about one-third to one-half of sex offenders subjected to community notification experience events such as the loss of a job or home, threats or harassment, or property damage (Levenson, J. S., & Cotter, L. (2005b). The impact of Megan's Law on sex offender reintegration. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 21(1), 49-66.; Tewksbury, R. (2005). Collateral consequences of sex offender registration. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 21(1), 67-82.). Physical assault seems to occur in 5-16% of cases and about 19% of sex offenders report that these negative consequences have affected other members of their households.

Blu · 20/07/2006 15:00

Presumably sex offenders can take the bus like everyone else - so I can't see what help the knowledge would be in 'avoiding certain areas' except to lull you into a sense of false security - or make people afraid to use theri local park. More children cooped up playing with an X box.....

NotQuiteCockney · 20/07/2006 18:21

Exactly. When the real risk to children is generally family and friends, anyway.

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