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Megan’s Law became law 27 years ago; How it continues to protect children against predators

Maureen Kanka, left, Jeremy Kanka,16, and Jessica Kanka, 19, center, watch acting New Jersey Gov. Donald T. DiFrancesco sign a bill that will create an internet registry of sex offenders in New Jersery at Megan's Place in Hamilton, N.J. Monday, July 23, 2001. Anyone with internet access will be able to check information concerning all high-risk sex offenders. At right is Assemblyman Joel Weingarten, R-Union/Middlesex and former Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Kathryn Flicker. Megan Kanka was raped and killed by a neighbor in 1994 in Hamilton. (AP Photo/Brian Branch-Price) (BRIAN BRANCH PRICE, AP2001)

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.


About the Author

A graduate of the University of Houston-Downtown, Ana moved to H-Town from sunny southern California in 2015. In 2020, she joined the KPRC 2 digital team as an intern. Ana is a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur, a catmom of 3, and an aquarium enthusiast. In her spare time, she's an avid video gamer and loves to travel.

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