Cathy Jamieson's decision conflicts with the action of the HomeSecretary John Reid who has said that he is prepared to considerimporting a version of Megan's Law from the US. It raises thepossibility of Scotland having radically different child protection lawsto England and Wales.
In a letter to the convener of the Scottish Parliament's Justice 2Committee, Jamieson said that universal disclosure of sex offender'sdetails was "almost invariably undesirable".
Her comments reflect the views of many children's professionals as wellas those of England's children's commissioner Al Aynsley-Green. Hisoffice issued a statement last week stating that the law "could increasethe risk of abuse from strangers".
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