CBS 21 Community

In a special report, CBS 21 News uncoverd the holes in Pennsylvania's registered sex offender database...

Now, we want to hear from you about Megan's Law. Here are a few questions to get the discussion started:

Question 1:

Currently, Pennsylvania has no state law restricting where registered sex offenders can live. That means even offenders with a past of sexual abuse of children could live right next to an elementary school. While some individual municipalites may have residency restrictions in place, do you think the state should also put certain restrictions into place?

Question 2:

In Pennsylvania, juveniles convicted of sexual offenses are not required to register. That means, for instance, that the public would not be informed if a 16-year-old with a history of rape moved into their neighborhood, or attended a local school. The only exception to this, would be if the juvenile moved to Pennsylvania from another state that does register juvenile sex offenders. Should Pennsylvania adopt the practice of registering juvenile sex offenders? Should their pictures be placed on the PA Megan's Law Website?

Question 3:

People convicted of sexual offenses in Pennsylvania are classified two ways; either as Registered Sex Offender, or Sexually Violent Predator. Sex Offenders are required to re-register once annually for 10 years, and also whenever they change addresses, employment, or schools. Sexually Violent Predators are required to register four times annually for the remainder of their lifetime, as well as when they change addresses, employment, or schools. Do you think this is adequate? Should Pennsylvania put other, intermediate registration requirements in place, such as 25, 30, or 50 years?

Thanks for getting interactive with CBS 21 News...!

Hmmm, lets see, this is a great thread, Mike, thanks for starting it, now if we can just get more traffic here!

My overall response to Megans law is that I really don't like it.  It implies that a convicted sex offender can never rehabilitate.  It also becomes a de facto life sentence for someone that may have made one dreadful mistake in college or something like that, so just like all broad-based policies(like those in elementary schools), it is mostly just ignorant pandering to scaredy cats in a society that  constantly begs the government to protect us from the Big Bad Wolf.

That said, the answer to your specifics.....

Question one,  This should be left to Municipalities.  Perhaps the state could encourage the municipal governments to make a law, if they wish, but no the state need not make one.  There are already too many things in the hands of the State that local government should handle( and for that mattter way too many things in the hands of the Federal Government that the States should handle!)

Q2: Absolutley not!  As I said above  this makes it seem that there is no hope for rehabilitation.  If a child is convicted of Manslaughter as a Juvi, they are not punished for life!  Why sex crimes? 

Case in point- A 15 yo boy and a 15 yo girl are consentually fooling around.  It gets heavy,  the girl say yes, they start, and suddenly she says, "no Stop."  If the 15 yo, a child, whose hormones are dominating his under-developed brain, does not stop, get up get dressed and run, he is guilty of sexual assault according to PA law. 

No,  child hood mistakes should not carry a life sentence of humiliation and suspicion(or a 10 year one).

And since Megan's law is dumb-ass zero tolerance, "we don't think we just act", crap that is EXACTLY what would happen.

Q3: Why are Sexxually Violent Predators treated differently than Violent Predators?  Why are the Gang members in Harrisburg that shoot up Allison Hill( predators to be sure) able to roam free after serving 5 years for shooting someone and terrorizing entire neighborhoods?

Megans Law is just nonsense, period.  I never understood how it made it past the Supreme Court, other than Political crap.

You want your kids safe from sexual predators?  Keep an eye on them, and get to know the people around you.  Take responsibility for your family, instead of asking the government to do it for you!

Megan Law for juvenilles what do I think?  If you think you are seeking justice I might ask for who!  I am a parent of a child who at the age of 12 was convicted of sexual assualt for an inappropriate touch - we had a court hearing -no doctor present - no doctor report - They call it family court - all it did was tear families apart - Now in the wonderful state of NJ there is to be a tiering of the offender but WAIT almost 10 years later no tiering ever took  place WHY do you ask?  all we were told is that because these individuals are such a LOW RISK there is no tiering - but instead you place a death sentence on them - justice for who?  I am not blind to know that there are horrible cases out there but if you think you can lump every juvenille into one nice little box and put it on the shelf - get a life.

What my family has endured and witness in the court system makes me sick - I have seen police LIE what police lie? - but you haven't  heard the best yet - we on our own as responsible parents had our family involved in counseling where my son was doing very well with a professionally trained doctor who deals with these things but WAIT the courts ordered us to see the Licensed counselor the same facility who testified against my family to do the counseling - You call that justice??? The courts can order you who do see medically?  Now here comes the good part - during counseling my son would come out very upset the counselor would tell the boys that masturation was the answer for sexual desires, we have repeatedly asked this man to work with our son on  a different approach, there is no connection between the two and should he not be following professional guidelines in outlined treatment plan - WHAT NO TREATMENT PLAN - JUST TALKING OFF THE CUFF?  then he moved on to wanting to know about their fanasticies - what standards is he following???  The best is when he had the boys get on their hands and knees and crawl around on the floor and then he told them if he shoveled his fist up their ass it would hurt - how would you feel? - then there was the constant threats that if you don't do and tell me what I want to know then I will do everything I can to go back to the judge and have him locked up - SO WHO WAS ABUSED NOW!!!   Where is the justice for my son and my family?  If you don't think this has had a negative impact on our family, but mostly my son?  -was this the purpose of the Megan Law - to give sick people the vehicle in which they themsleves are protected where they can ABUSE young child under the viel of counseling? And you say "freedom and justice for all" - if the forefathers of this country learned of these situations perhaps they would have written "freedom and justice for SOME"

Justice4who