Sex Offenders: The Case Of Megan Nicole Kanka

Megan Nicole Kanka was a seven-year-old girl who lived in Hamilton Township, New Jersey. On July 29, 1994, Jesse Timmendequas enticed Megan into his home with the assurance of a puppy. Megan would never be seen alive again. Megan was brutally and sexually assaulted and then murdered by "two-time convicted sex offender Jesse Timmendequas." (p. 164) Timmendequas sex offenses did not start with Megan. Timmendequas had a criminal charge in a 1981 attack on a five-year-old and an attempted sexual assault on a seven-year-old. Hamilton Township 's community was shocked to know they had a two-time sentenced sex offender living in their community without their awareness. Following Megan 's murder by Jesse Timmendequas, several New Jersey citizens began

Joseph Minnesota convenience store with his brother and a friend. A potential buyer sexually assaulted Pam Lyncher, a real estate agent in September 1990 in Houston, Texas and John Walsh, whose son Adam Walsh was kidnapped from a department store while playing video games in July of 1981 in Hollywood Florida, wanted steps taken towards repeat sex offenders. Therefore, the Wetterlings went about convincing federal lawmakers to take actions against recidivism amongst sex offenders. In addition to accompanying other suffers and supporters, the Wetterlings pressed federal lawmakers to pass the May 1996 national version of Megan 's Law.

Megan 's murder provoked widespread objection that resulted in Megan 's Law Amendment to the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offenders Act. The Jacob Wetterling Act enacted, in 1994 "establishes guidelines for states to track sex offenders. The Act also "required states to track sex offenders by confirming their place of residence annually for ten years after their release into the community or quarterly for the rest of their life if the sex offender was convicted of a violent sex crime." (Office of Justice

After completion of the final guidelines to the Jacob Wetterling Act, in the mid-1990s, "every state along with the District of Columbia passed a Megan 's Law." (Office of Justice Programs) In January of 1996, Congress passed the federal Megan 's Law that provided the public distribution of information from states ' sex offender registries. The law granted the public with information secured under state registration programs published for any purpose under state law. Commanded state and local enforcement agencies to release vital knowledge essential to safeguard the public regarding persons registered under a state registration program authorized under the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act. "Megan 's Law changed the "may ' to "shall ' release." (Parentsformeganslaw) Although Megan 's Law amended Jacob Wetterling Act, there were still no guarantees for active information just release of information. Nevertheless, Megan 's Law still gave sexual predators the possibility of moving into one 's neighborhood, and not receiving adequate notification that offenders are in the vicinity. However, all of that changed when all states had to comply with the requirements set forward later in the Adam Walsh Child Protection Act of