12/8/2005   English German
  Edition # 57  
San Francisco, 12-8-2005

Database Of Sex Offenders
Figure [1]: Yikes! The neighborhood in the foreground is home to 10 convicted sex offenders?

Michael Recently, I came across something strange on the internet: a publicly accessible database of convicted sex offenders. Go to the website of the National Sex Offender Public Registry of the US Department of Justice. After you accept the fine print with "I agree," click on California on the map (the elongated state on the West Coast) and enter our postal code 94114 as the Zipcode. A click on "Search" will provide a list of convicted sex offenders in our neighborhood who have since been released from prison. If you click on the names in the list, the police photos of these individuals will appear, along with their full names and information about their offenses, and in some cases, their current addresses, including street name and house number! You can even view their addresses on a digital map. The following clause is intended to prevent anyone from threatening or harassing these individuals: "ANY USE OF THIS INFORMATION TO THREATEN, INTIMIDATE, HARASS, OR CREATE A CRIMINAL ACT AGAINST ANOTHER PERSON WILL RESULT IN CRIMINAL PROSECUTION."

The address information is public because of legislation called Megan's Law" It dates back to 1996 and was signed by President Clinton at the time. In a small suburb in the state of New Jersey, 7-year-old Megan Kanka was murdered in 1995 by a man who was a convicted sex offender and had lived in the same neighborhood for years. The law is intended to ensure that citizens are aware when a convicted sex offender is living in their vicinity.

In a recently aired episode of the controversial yet funny TV series "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (Rundbrief 03/2003) Larry David invites a newly moved-in man to his party at his home and casually mentions to his wife, "by the way, he's a publicly known sex offender," which causes the wife to freak out. Needless to say, the party turns into complete chaos. Larry David knows no taboos!

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