On May 17, 1996, President Bill Clinton signed legislation requiring law enforcement officials to release information about convicted sex offenders. This became known as Megan’s Law.
Several laws, including the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act of 1994 were passed before Megan’s Law was brought to the White House.
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Previously, sex offender information was only available via sheriff’s offices and police stations. Later, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that information about potential predators may be publicly posted online.
Even cities, including Houston, have enacted public sex offender websites where residents can find information about their neighborhoods.
Today, every state, including Texas, has passed its version of Megan’s Law.
What is Megan’s Law?
According to The Washington Post, Megan’s Law was named after 7-year-old Megan Kanka, of New Jersey.
In July of 1994, she was raped and killed by a convicted child molester who was living across the street from her family’s home.
That convicted killer, Jesse Timmedequas, later confessed to the crime.
After the tragedy, Megan’s parents sought to advocate for laws requiring authorities to notify communities about sex offenders in the neighborhood.
The Washington Post reported, citing an article from People Magazine, that Maureen Kankas, Megan’s mother, did not know about Timmedequas’s criminal record.
She added, “I would never have allowed her to cross the street.”
Resources
To learn more about Megan’s Law, click here.
Click here for the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Sex Offender registry.
Click here for the National Sex Offender Public Website.