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December 13, 2004
Watchdog group criticizes state's Megan's Law record
ASHEVILLE - North Carolina gets an "F" for failing to go out and tell residents when sex offenders move nearby, a national watchdog group says.
Parents for Megan's Law gave the state and 21 others the grade. Those states leave it up to residents to find out where sex offenders live.
North Carolina keeps an internet registry of offenders. The report also judged states on the extent of information available and national participation in civil commitment laws
Megan's Law is a federal law that strongly encourages states to register and release information about people convicted of sex crimes against children and sexually violent offenses against adults. The law gives discretion to each state on how to release that information.
The law is named after Megan Nicole Kanka. The 7-year-old New Jersey girl in 1994 was lured into her neighbor's home with the promise of a puppy and raped and murdered by a sex offender. He had been convicted in a 1981 attack on a 5-year- old child and an attempted sexual assault on a 7-year-old.
Parents for Megan's Law in November launched a new hotline to help parents and community members get information on each state's version of Megan's Law and educate callers about child sexual abuse prevention.
"Megan's Law was supposed to guarantee that if a sex offender moved in next door, you would be notified by law enforcement, but that's just not the case," said Laura Ahearn, executive director of Parents for Megan's Law.
The only way for a person to know about sex offenders in Buncombe County is to search the Internet registry.
"The law doesn't allow us to do any more than we do," said Vicki Kuykendall, a crime analyst with the Buncombe County Sheriff's Department.
"A lot of people don't have access to a computer and have to go to a library," Kuykendall said. "And people were told about the registry when it first came out, and it was on the news, but people forget."
Sex offenders moving into the state have 10 days to register with a county. They must register a new address when they move. Buncombe County has 235 registered sex offenders.
A sex offender who fails to register with the county would be guilty of a class F felony and the person would be immediately arrested, according to North Carolina law.
Matt Danford, president of the Montford Neighborhood Association, said he believes North Carolina's system of registering sex offenders is working.
"There is a fine line between notification to the public and stomping on people's rights who may have already paid their price," said Danford, who works to keep the Montford community safe. "As long as people know where to find the information, I think that's enough. The educational process is out there to take advantage of, if people want."
Parents for Megan's Law is urging state lawmakers nationwide to strengthen their laws by learning from proactive states such as Florida, Texas, Maryland, North Dakota and Nebraska, who all get out and actively notify their communities of local sex offenders.
Posted by Nealus at December 13, 2004 02:56 PM
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