The Government's announcement was certainly ham-fisted, but the HomeOffice is right not to push ahead with a full version of Megan'sLaw.
It is understandable that people want something done about child sexabusers. Their crimes are despicable and, on the surface, Megan's Lawsounds appealing. If parents were informed about potential abusers theycould, in theory, could take action to protect their child. But thereality is that Megan's Law has failed in the US.
It's been just over a decade since Bill Clinton introduced the law inthe US. Yet assessments of whether it has reduced child abuse suggest ithas made no difference. In fact, it appears to have encouraged morepaedophiles to go underground, partially explaining why the USauthorities have been less successful than those in the UK in trackingthe location of convicted abusers.
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