Megan's Law?

[Iain]

Govt policy being driven by headlines and fear-mongering?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5096542.stm

Some highlights:

The Home Office said protection of the public was of paramount importance to the government. Paedophiles are to be moved out of probation hostels next to schools. This decision, by Home Secretary John Reid, comes after the News of the World found 60 had been housed, with government approval, at sites near schools.

But [Chief Constable] Grange told BBC News that this year alone in the US five people had been murdered "by people who have accessed the sex offenders register, gone to their houses and killed them".

Home Office Minister Gerry Sutcliffe is going to the US to see how the system works and if a UK version could be introduced.

So what lessons should Gerry Sutcliffe MP be learning on his trip to the US? I'm curious to know what opinons on here are. Instinctively I don't like it, I remember some paediatrician being targeted by a mob during the last stirring up of this issue, and I've already seen someone accuse those against the idea of 'probably being paedophiles'.

[280plus]

I'll say this is the first I've heard of these killings they speak of. Tough call. I don't know if you're aware of it but national news media here has been luring in pedophiles of all shapes and sizes and featuring the confrontation and arrests of these individuals in special programs "60 Minutes" for example. It is unbelievable how brazen these guys are. And how obsessed and focused they are on sex. More than one of them stripped naked before ever entering the friggin house. It's a terrible problem. I think they snagged something like 80 guys in 6 weeks around the country. I can see the public listing of pedophiles and their addresses is a double edged sword if you will, but what other ways can you offer to combat this problem?

[K Frame]

Funny this comes up now.

On the 10 p.m. news there was a report of a man being arrested for molesting a teenage boy.

What does the guy do for a living?

He's the director of a day care center.

[Iain]

A little girl was murdered here six years ago by a paedophile and it's her name that is being tagged to the campaign, so here it would be called Sarah's Law, at least by the News of the World.

There is definitely a concern with paedophiles, but part of the problem of this obsessive focus on 'stranger danger' is that the vast vast majority of child sex abuse goes on in the immediate family. Now I've heard it suggested that even with this law those convicted of abuse of their own or step-children or nieces and nephews would be exempt because of the risk of identifying the child by exposing the abusers crimes.

Also, if a formerly convicted perv is a danger to the public that danger is only partially mediated by telling everyone what he did. If he is so dangerous as to not be allowed near schools perhaps he is too dangerous to be on the outside altogether? If he is actually safe to be released then any concept of rehabilitation seems under threat from any neighbours and potential employers being able to find out about his past, and atoned for, deeds.

Part of this comes from the recent sentencing of a paedophile. According to the headlines he has been sentenced to five years in prison for the abuse of a child under 5. Unfortunately the Home Secretary stepped in to say that the sentence was too lenient and it all got silly. The sentence was as it is for several reasons, political reasons. He was sentenced to life, which in sex abuse cases is 18 years, he got a third off for pleading guilty (politicians established this), that leaves us with 12 years. Half that and you get the first point at which he is eligible for parole (politicians again). Factor in time served whilst waiting for the courts and you have 5 years. That's the first point at which he is eligible for parole though. The judge in the case said that this guy may never be released from prison.

So child sex abuse cases, independency of the judiciary, criminal law reform and headline-grabbing have been big political footballs here. Knee-jerk legislation on it's way.