Home Office To Test Watered-Down Version Of Megan’s Law
A watered-down version of Megan’s Law which will give parents the right to know whether there are paedophiles living in their area is to be piloted.
{mosimage}Under the Home Office scheme, which is expected to be rolled out in three areas over the next few months, parents will be told how many paedophiles are living in high-risk areas, such as close to schools or parks, and lone parents will be able to check whether potential partners are sex offenders.
The move follows years of campaigning by British parents for a version of Megan’s Law – legislation introduced in the US which allows parents information about paedophiles in their area.
Yesterday Labour MP Dan Norris, whose Wansdyke constituency in north-east Somerset will be one of the pilot areas, said John Reid had given the go-ahead.
“The details are not finalised but parents are likely be given access to the number of paedophiles in the area – but will not be given individual names,” he said.
“Lone parents will be given the chance to check the background of potential partners before they move into their homes because we know that paedophiles often target them as a way to get to children, and headteachers will be given access to information about repeat offenders in their area.”
The campaign for a British version of Megan’s Law, dubbed “Sarah’s Law”, was launched following the death of Sarah Payne, who was murdered by paedophile Roy Whiting in 2000, and was supported by the News of the World newspaper.
However, opponents argue that releasing information about sex offenders results in a rise in vigilante attacks and drives paedophiles underground, putting children at greater risk.
They point to an incident on the Paulsgrove estate in Portsmouth where a newspaper printed the details of sex offenders. The subsequent hysteria led to a paediatrician being wrongly targeted and probation officers reported that several sex offenders disappeared.
Last night Labour MP Martin Salter, who sits on the home affairs select committee, said it was important to study the details of the new proposals.
“On the face of it this seems a considerably more measured response than John Reid’s knee-jerk reaction last year to tabloid pressure for a British version of Megan’s Law which has been a disaster, not least for children, in the US.”
Mr Salter added: “It is important to get the balance between keeping communities safe from sex offenders and introducing policies which, although they seem tough, only have the effect of driving offenders underground and putting children at greater risk.”
Last night Michele Elliott, director of children’s charity Kidscape, said the pilot schemes were a measured response and described them as a “massive breakthrough” for parents.
“I am delighted. It is happening with a great deal of planning and thought, and we will see how it works in these controlled circumstances.”
She said she had been sceptical of releasing information about sex offenders. “Initially I did not welcome the proposals because I thought it was too radical, but research has changed my mind. Kidscape research shows that paedophiles particularly target single parents, as these families are particularly vulnerable.
“That’s what makes this new legislation so useful. It is specifically engineered to help single parents feel more secure.”
Yesterday Mr Norris, a former child protection officer, said information on sex offenders would be handled responsibly.
“This legislation will be difficult and challenging to get right, which is why it is important that it is thoroughly trialled,” he said. “But we owe it to all our children to ensure they are as safe as possible.”
Mr Norris, who has been campaigning for more public information about sex offenders for the past decade, added that he hoped a version of the scheme would be in place across Britain following the pilots.
“When there has been vigilantism, these people go underground and then we don’t know what they’re doing, that’s why we’re having these tests.”
Backstory
Megan’s Law was launched in the US after the rape and murder of Megan Kanka, 7, by a convicted paedophile in New Jersey. The outcry that followed, in 1994, spawned legislation that was adopted in various forms across 50 states. The law allowed public access to information on the history and whereabouts of high-risk offenders, which supporters say has been a valuable deterrent. But critics, many of whom work with sex offenders, say it induces a false sense of security for parents and can drive paedophiles underground, as well as overemphasising “stranger danger”.