Megan’s Laws: Wise Policy or Ill-Conceived Public Folly?

Abstract

All states now have so-called Megan’s Laws which require sex offenders to register particular personal information with the government and also provide for various forms of community access to that information. This article does not address the constitutional challenges to such laws, but rather some of the policy questions these laws raise, including whether the laws are effective and the costs to government and society of adopting and enforcing such laws. The article includes a Table that collects information about the Megan’s Laws in all 50 states.