Sex offender registries have served the public since the first registry of California in 1947. The registry severed the purpose of monitoring the whereabouts of convicted sex offenders. Almost 50 years later, in 1994, the Jacob Wetterling Act was written into law mandating all states to maintain a sex offender registry. Amended by Congress in 1996, Megan’s Law required all law enforcement agencies to make available the convicted sex offenders information. The Adam Walsh Act, known as The Sex Offender Registration Act (SORNA) came into effect in 2006. “SORNA provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. SORNA aims to close potential gaps and loopholes that existed under …show more content…
We have struggled to keep our communities safe, keeping our children safe, and keeping our liberty while we pursue our goals and dreams as Americans. We often have a misconception that people who commit sex crimes are strangers. While this may be true is some cases this rings far from the truth as a whole. The University of Michigan states, “Most rapes are committed by someone that the victim knows: a neighbor, friend, acquaintance, co-worker, classmate, spouse, partner, or ex-partner” ("Myths and Facts | Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center", 2016). The SORNA policy is a tool for the jurisdiction to follow when implementing a sex offender registry. The laws have utilized the first amendment right in freedom to inform. When the jurisdictions do not implement SORNA there is a lack of these jurisdiction providing society with public …show more content…
Horne and Vandervort-Clark state, “Despite numerous efforts at all levels of government, policymakers continue to struggle to identify and implement effective policies and programs that address the myriad issues related to sexual offenders and their crimes.” (Horne & Vandervort-Clark, 2010). Another differing issue that SORNA did not work well with is juvenile sex offenders. It was found and resolved by the Council of State Governments. What was stated in 2008 by the Council, “BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, that The Council of State Governments strongly opposes SORNA’s application to juvenile sex offenders and urges Congress to revise the law to more accurately address the needs of juvenile offenders” (CSG Executive Committee, 2008). We may find that juveniles are of special cases when charged with a sex crime and their information should be protected and not public