Megan's Law: Does it protect children? (2)

An updated review of evidence on the impact of community notification as legislated for by Megan's Law in the United States

November 2006 United Kingdom

Foreword
The NSPCC’s purpose is to end cruelty to children. Children have a right to be protected from all forms of abuse whether within the home or from someone unknown to the child.

Recent public debate has focused on the risks posed by sex offenders to children. The NSPCC believes Government is right to tackle this and is publishing “Megan’s Law: Does it protect children?” as a contribution to this important debate. There is no solid evidence that supports the introduction of Megan’s Law into the UK.

The NSPCC report shows that there is not one Megan’s law but many different variations of community notification. Although the law is popular with parents, there is no evidence that open access to sex offender registers actually enhances child safety. There is no evidence that Megan’s Law reduces reoffending. However, there is some evidence that it may have unintended negative consequences for children.

The NSPCC supports the view that when the police are aware that an offender poses a risk to the public they or the Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) should be responsible for informing individuals and the community, as they see fit on a case by case basis. But two things are clear. First, the success, or lack of success, of these arrangements is either not established or, if it has been, has not been well communicated. Secondly, there is significant public concern about arrangements for protecting children from sex offenders in the community.

The NSPCC considers that in the UK there is a danger that public debate is focusing on a small number of high-risk offenders and excluding the many ‘medium-risk’ offenders who also pose a significant risk to children. The NSPCC believes that the current system of monitoring and sharing information about sex offenders under the MAPPA needs to be strengthened. Recent reports suggest that the MAPPAs are overstretched and under resourced. We are concerned that risk assessments are not being consistently carried out, that there are not enough sex offender treatment programmes available, and that multi-agency arrangements are not working consistently.

Measures taken to enhance community safety through the management of registered sex offenders are only one part of keeping children safe. In order for the sexual abuse of children to be addressed effectively, a broad approach is required to ensure that children are supported to talk about abuse, that adults act to stop abuse taking place and that potential abusers themselves are provided with help before they abuse.

Mary Marsh, NSPCC Director and Chief Executive ..more.. by Kate Fitch