Megan's Law

Paper Summary:

This paper argues that the legality of Megan's Law and other laws regarding sex offenders must be re-assessed to ensure that both the public safety and individual rights are upheld. The author contends that, with the current legal system surrounding sex offenders, not only are the punished sex offenders not treated justly under the Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution but also the law is useless. The author proposes that offenders with minor and mild sex crimes, who had had extensive therapy and an extensive background check to ensure that they are not likely to perform a dangerous sex crime, should be given one chance to redeem themselves after they serve their time; however, more dangerous criminals, such as pedophiles and repeat offenders, should be locked up in prison for life with out parole. Includes an annotated bibliography.

From the Paper:

"In McKune v. Lile, a convicted sex offender who was serving his term in prison said the new state program that required its participants to acknowledge and admit to the crimes that they were sentenced to was a violation of the Fifth Amendment of self incrimination. The Supreme Court over ruled that notion because the state program was a rehabilitation program and saw more benefits then consequences."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Connecticut Dept. Of Public Safety v. Doe, 538 U.S. 1 (2003)
• Cornell Law Wbsite, http://www.law.cornell.edu
• McKune v. Lile, 536 U.S. 24 (2002).
• Porsdam, Helle. Legaly Speaking. University of Massachusetts Press: Amherst, 1999.
• Smith v. Doe, 538 U.S. 84 (2003).

More papers on Megan's Law:

• Argumentative Essay # 95524 : "Megan's Law"
• Research Paper # 2987 : "Megan's Law; Problems Associated with Implementation"
• Essay # 72334 : "Megan's Law"
• Analytical Essay # 15881 : "Megan's Law"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: