ELT World News

For any parent, learning that a convicted sex offender is living on the same block can be a frightening discovery. Many parents can’t imagine that someone, who could be so potentially dangerous, may be living somewhere on their block or along the path their children take to school. However, it is highly likely that there are registered sex offenders in your neighborhood.

The U.S. Department of Justice indicates that as many as14 percent of all previous sex offenders will commit a repeat sex related crime. Entering your own zip code at the Track Sex Offenders website will enable you to track sex offenders by viewing a full list of sexual predators that are living in your area. You can view photos, names, make a check of criminal history, get recent address information, by performing one simple search.

Beginning in the mid 1990’s, US legislation established guidelines for tracking convicted sex offenders and making such information available as part of a community notification endeavor. In 1994, the Jacob Wetterling Act began requiring states to register individuals convicted of sex crimes against children. The Pam Lychner Sexual Offender Tracking and Identification Act of 1996 was enacted by Congress to provide for the nationwide tracking of convicted sexual predators. Megan’s Law (1996) further served to clarify the public nature of information and authorized the release of relevant information that is necessary to protect the public. Together, these three key pieces of legislation have shaped the structure of sexual registries, nationwide. Today, almost every state maintains a registry of sexual offenders, and makes this information easily accessible via the internet.

Currently there are approximately a half of a million registered sex offenders in the United States. They live in cities and towns all across the country, both in poor and affluent neighborhoods. For example, the twice-convicted paedophile who raped and murdered Megan Kanka lived across the street from her home. Every parent should make it a priority to do a quick search to educate themselves about potential risk exposures that possibly will be dangerously close. It is commonly said that what you don’t know can hurt you. More importantly, with the help of Sex Offender Lookup, what you do know can save your life!