Megans Law Essay, Research Paper

In July of 1994, a little girl named, Megan Kanka, was

raped and strangled. They found her body near her home in

Hamilton Township, New Jersey. The story of thing young

girl has shocked the nation. The man responsible for this

brutal act is named, Jesse Timmendequas. He had been

convicted twice prior to this attack. He also served six

years in a treatment facility and had been released. Many

people said that he was a quiet man, and this left them to

think he was harmless. Unfortunately, this wasn?t the case.

This sex offender lived in the same town, as a matter of

fact, he lived across the street from the Kanka family. This

man was not ready to be released at all. In fact, he

shouldn?t have been released. This only left him more of an

opportunity to stike again.

This information brought the people of Hamilton Township

to pass around a petition. The petition stated that a state

law be passed informing the citizens of their community that

such people live amongst them. This isn?t a rare request. In

fact, there have been numerous attempts to bring this law

into affect. This should have been done from the beginning,

but some people actually think these sex offenders have

rights. Well, the people of Hamilton Township didn?t agree.

They felt that they should have been told that this sex

offender lived within their neighborhood. "The real issue

isn?t that the people of Hamilton Township were denied

information on this sex offender, but why was this man

released after only six years of treatment when there were

two prior convictions for sexually assaulting young girls?"

{Decter, pg. 1}

There should be a longer sentence for these offenders.

Because it is such a terrible and scarring experience for

those who survive it, these people shouldn?t be able walk

freely and live a normal life. These kids have to live with it

for the rest of their lives. It causes them to lose trust in

people. We want our youth to be strong and loving, not

scared and traumatized. These sex offenders should never

forget the crime that they committed. They should not only

do the time in jail, but they should also do the time out of

jail. They should feel like victims for the rest of their lives,

and if the community feels like having these people

exposed, then so be it! Megan?s mother stated, "If the

family had been told that Jesse Timmendequas was their

neighbor, the girl would never have been allowed anywhere

near the neighbors." {Ahearn, pg. 1}

Those who commit this crime, after knowing about

Megan?s Law, should face more of a penalty. They know

the consequences that they must face. Those who

committed the crime before Megan?s Law was enacted,

are also on the exposed list. News organizations should

also print or air the names and addresses of those with

records of passed and present convictions. We should

have no mercy on them just like they have no mercy on our

young. This isn?t a punishment, but a service to our

community.

These sex offenders have three different categories that

they are sorted into. Most are Tier One or Tier Two,

warranting notification of local police or schools. But for

the dangerous Tier Three guys, like Jesse Timmendequas,

the law says neighbors should also be informed. So why do

these offenders still commit the crime?

Some say that this additional punishment is unconstitutional,

but what people don?t realize is that they are the minority in

this case. The majority of people do believe that it is

constitutional. According to Linda Meilink, a managing

editor of Paradise Post in Northern California, she states,

"Too often in this country we have been in the business of

salvation. We think everything can be fixed? I believe

people change, I believe in good things happening? but I

believe in protecting children." {Sheppard,pg. 3} You see,

the Post would put the "top ten" names of the sexual

offenders on the front page. Linda doubted the benefits that

this would have had until she saw one of her staff member?s

name on the list. She was shocked. She soon fired him.

Some may say that this guy deserved a second chance, but

what if he was a Tier Two or a Tier Three? A police officer

told Linda Meilink that "high risk child molesters strike

again 90% of the time." {pg. 1} We can?t ignore that. This

isn?t a case of discrimination.

People often wonder about having children in the kind of

world where people like Jesse Timmendequas can still live

amongst them. According to the Bergen Record, in

February of 98 alone there were 563 offenders released

and 46 being Tier Three. {Ahearn, pg 2} Forty-six seem

like a small number, but what about the rest that are Tier

Two?s? They get to roam around the areas that our

children run and play in. A place we call home is no longer

a safe place because of these discusting criminals. They

shouldn?t have a second chance after the first time

committing this crime.

Personally, I think that they should get the death penalty.

To let them out after the first time is enough of a chance. It

might sound cruel to some people, but I think that if they

were to put themselves in the shoes of those parents who

lost or had their children be victims of this crime then they

can be able to see the importance of keeping our

neighborhood as safe and sound as we could. Thank God

for Megan?s Law. It is fair to everyone. The only issue that

bothers me is the fact that those 90 percent, as I mentioned

earlier, will most likely strike again. I think we should be

notified the first time. This, at least, will enable us to be

more careful. It also would make the community look out

for other people?s children. The one thing that Mrs. Kanka

said that really stuck in my mind was, "I can say that at

least with our involvement, we will have made a difference

for another family out there."{Weston, pg 1}