Sexual Predator Legislation

In 1994, seven-year-old Megan Kanka is killed by a paroled sex offender who had been convicted twice before for sexual crimes. This terrible murder spearheads a national movement to ease a growing public fear that kids are easy prey for criminals who have been set free to reoffend. All 50 states pass sexual predator laws. One common element of these laws is the registry of sex offenders. This list serves as the starting point in investigations of new sexual crimes. People who have served their time are asked to account for their whereabouts with no probable cause connecting them to the crime. This new legislation doesnıt just target the perverts who prey on children: Consenting adults busted for engaging in public sex, queers whose sexual behaviors are outlawed in many states, and people convicted of statutory rape who may only be a year older than their consenting partner all potentially qualify as sex offenders.

Many states require communities to be notified when sex offenders are released. Often the personıs address and picture are provided. This results in widespread vigilante responses. Released convicts are burned out of their homes, driven from town to town. Some jurisdictions allow for the indefinite civil commitment of a sex offender who is deemed at risk of offending again. Critics of these laws argue that they violate the constitution and continue to punish people after they have paid for their crime. Meanwhile the laws are on the books, and the majority of the public appears satisfied.

Residents Protest Against a Convicted Child Molester Living in their Neighborhood. Placentia, CA. Alon Reinenger, 1997