A sex offender registry might not be available in Michigan if the U.S. Supreme Court upholds a Connecticut court decision.
Last month, the Supreme Court said it would hear an appeal from Connecticut, where a federal judge got rid of the state’s sex offender registry last year. The judge decided the list was unconstitutional because offenders didn’t have the chance to prove they were no longer dangerous to society.
Under the Sex Offender Registration Act of 1996, all 50 states are required to keep an up-to-date list of sexual offenders. The registry laws are usually called Megan’s Law, after Megan Kanka, a New Jersey girl raped and killed in 1994 by a neighbor who was a convicted sex offender.
The registries take conviction records already available to the public through police and court records and put them together all in one place. All the information is still available in Connecticut individually.
Michigan State Police Lt. Jerry Conners said the registry provides “peace of mind” to parents.
“It offers a lot of security for people who are aware of it and have access to the Internet,” he said.
Conners said he’s heard of people checking the list before deciding on housing or parents checking it before taking their children to a friend’s house.
“There are a lot of states that publish photos as well as names on their lists,” he said. “It could be a lot worse, a lot more elaborate. I mean, they couldn’t go unrecognized at a place of work or anywhere in public.”
Rep. Paul DeWeese, R-Williamston, agree the law should remain “as is.”
“I believe that it has been helpful in some instances,” he said. “I’ve heard anecdotal reports where parents were able to identify someone in the vicinity of their children.
“In terms of my children, I’m cognizant of the registry’s effectiveness in that sense.”
DeWeese said the only thing wrong with the current law is the inclusion of minors. He thinks if teenagers have consensual sex, they shouldn’t be considered sexual predators.
Many MSU students believe the registry serves a purpose and should stay in place.
“One day, I might become a father, and I’d really want to have that available,” said supply chain management junior Kevin Riha. “I’m not really concerned with the rights of someone capable of committing that type of crime.”
Accounting junior Kari Duffey said communities should have the right to know.
“If they commit the crime, I really don’t care about their rights,” she said.
