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}