Do You Know Who Lives in Your Neighborhood?

You know what they say: “Location, location, location.” Many people who look for homes now don’t just consider the distance to the kids’ school or family’s church as to whether it’s an ideal location. They look to see the distance from the nearest sex offender.

On one hand it’s a bit distressing that we even have to consider that factor, but on the other hand it's comforting to know that this information is as near as your computer. Since Megan’s Law was passed in 1996, all 50 states are required to have a sex offender registry as well as a procedure for notifying the public when a sex offender is released into their community.

This law came about of course after the horrible death of Megan Kanka, a seven-year-old New Jersey girl who was raped and killed by her neighbor. That neighbor turned out to be a known child molester—a fact that, tragically, Megan’s family didn’t know until after her death.

To access your state’s sex offender registry you can either call your local law enforcement agency for your state’s web address or go to www.klaaskids.org. It’s a wonderful resource on the subject of child protection and has links to all 50 states’ registries. The site is run by the father of Polly Klaas, another child who was kidnapped and murdered.

A word of warning though—not all sex offenders are listed on the registries. In Tennessee for example, only those offenders who committed their crimes on or after July 1, 1997 are shown on the Internet, a portion of the law many consider to be a loophole.  Sex offenders who committed their crimes before that date are listed on a separate “confidential” registry that is only available to law enforcement officers under specific circumstances. In many states an offender can petition the courts to take his or her name off the registry after a certain number of years, although in many cases it’s at least twenty years.

If you use a search engine with the key words “sex offender” you are given results of some organizations that charge you to look up someone’s criminal record by zip code. Unless you have a specific neighbor in mind, this may be a waste of money as your state’s registry would have the same information. However, if after a check, that creepy neighbor on the corner doesn’t show up you can have a criminal background check run by your state police agency. In Tennessee the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation charges $29 for a background check. They request that you provide a complete name, date of birth, current address, and social security number. They’ll still do the check if you don’t have all the information but the chances of getting an accurate report diminishes if you are lacking some information.

The information available about sex offenders is more comprehensive and accessible than ever before. But just like installing a filter on your computer is just one step in keeping your child safe online, knowing where a sex offender may live is also not a fail-proof safety measure for your family. Good parenting, common sense, and clear rules as to whom your child is allowed to speak to can never be replaced by an online sex offender registry.