![]() In 1996, following the brutal rape and murder of 7-year-old Megan Kanka by a neighbor with two prior convictions for sex offenses (a fact which was known to law enforcement but not by the community), Congress passed Megan’s Law, which required that states make their sex offender databases available to the public so that citizens could be aware of dangerous sexual predators near them and take appropriate measures to protect themselves. ![]() This lack of guidance resulted in an inconsistent patchwork of state run sex offender databases that was not capable of tracking sex offenders across state lines. Although Wetterling required states to establish sex offender websites, it left discretion to the states regarding which offenders to register, what information would be posted, and who could access the websites. 2 The act required convicted sex offenders to register their addresses with local law enforcement agencies upon the completion of their custodial sentence in order to assist the authorities in monitoring offenders and apprehending known recidivists. This act was created because of public outcry in response to a series of kidnappings and sexual assaults of minors, including 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling, a crime with remains unsolved. In 1994, Congress passed the Jacob Wetterling Crimes against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act (“Wetterling”), which required states, the District of Columbia, and the principle territories to create sex offender registries containing information about convicted sex offenders for use by law enforcement. While it is impossible to say with any certainty, this tragic result might have been avoided had Maryland been in compliance with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, which, despite strong public support, remains controversial.īackground of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act 1 Leggs, who was ultimately convicted of this heinous offense, was able to avoid scrutiny in Maryland because, although listed in Delaware’s registry as a “high-risk” sex offender, Leggs was deemed to be “compliant” in Maryland. After brutally raping her, Leggs murdered Foxwell and deposited her burned and lifeless body in a field near the Maryland–Delaware border, where it was found on Christmas Day. That intruder was Thomas Leggs, Jr., a convicted sex offender. On December 23, 2009, 11-year-old Sarah Haley Foxwell was snatched by a nighttime intruder from her home in Wicomico County, Maryland. Why We Need the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act: A Sensible and Workable Law that Helps Keep Us Safe
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