Sex Crime Laws in N.Y. and California

Paper Summary:

A study of the laws in New York and California, specifically their sex crime laws, shows that underneath the diverse shells, at the heart these two states are very similar. The paper shows that a shift in public opinion over the past several decades has brought a new version of regulations in both states and both New York and California have had to review what they once considered crimes. On top of this, grassroots organizations like Parents for Megan's Law - an influential group of parents intent on keeping their neighborhoods safe via registration of dangerous sex offenders - have forced legislatures to assess the anomie inherent in a growing society, and what effect it has on recidivism rates. The paper shows that the end result is a conglomeration of laws that marry restrictive with permissive, and gives New York and California top prize conjointly for forward thinking in the United States. Nonetheless, laws on the books in New York show a decidedly more restrictive bent, whereas California's laws lean toward the permissive, and the results are telling for which method is most effective.

From the Paper:

"California had a head start over most of the United States in applying the spirit of Megan's Law to the sex offenders. Since 1944, California has made it compulsory for sex offenders to register their whereabouts with the state. As the state's population has grown and the community has become more transient, a lack of concrete normalcy in behavior has caused California to revisit its laws to include more deviant and unsettling conduct. One of the biggest adjustments to the laws already implemented was an internet presence intended to provide its residents with as easy, effective way to ferret out potential dangers in their neighborhoods. But according to the Office of the Attorney General of California, about one-quarter of convicted sex offenders are not listed there."

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