No Megan's Law violates the privacy of sex offenders who have served their debt to society. By notifying their new neighbors of their past crimes, the law unfairly vilifies these individuals and opens them up to harassment and acts of retribution.
Communities have the right to know when a sex offender moves into the area.
By requiring notification of neighbors when a registered sex offender moves in, Megan's Law ensures that parents can protect their children from dangerous pedophiles. In an attempt to prevent similar crimes from occurring in communities that are unaware of sex offenders living amongst them, Megan's Law went into effect in New Jersey on October 31, 1994. The law requires all convicted sex offenders to register with law enforcement officials upon release from prison or a treatment facility, and set up a system to notify communities when a sex offender takes up residence in their area. Schools, day care centers, and other child-care facilities are made aware of the individual's presence, and neighbors are informed if the person is judged sufficiently likely to commit acts of sexual abuse against children in the future. Legislation has been proposed in several states to expand Megan's Law into cyberspace.