Summary of Findings From the Study on the Practical and Monetary Effectiveness of Megan’s Law in New Jersey
Author: Kristen Zgoba, Ph.D..; Philip Witt, Ph.D..
Source: Volume 11, Number 03, April/May 2010 , pp.33-40(8)
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Abstract:
On July 29, 1994, Jesse Timmendequas, a sex offender who had been released after serving a maximum sentence in a New Jersey correctional facility, raped and murdered seven-year-old Megan Kanka in Hamilton, NJ. The intense community reaction that followed extended well beyond the state. One expression of community outrage was the enactment of laws to notify the public of the presence of sex offenders living and working in their community. (B. Veysey, K. Zgoba, and M. Dalessandro, “A Preliminary Step Towards Evaluating the Impact of Megan’s Law: A Trend Analysis of Sexual Offenses in New Jersey From 1985 to 2005,” 10 Just., Res., & Pol’y (2008).) The premise was, and still is, that with this knowledge, citizens will take protective measures against these nearby sex offenders.Keywords:
Affiliations:
1: New Jersey Department of Corrections; 2: Associates in Psychological Services, P.A..