Megan's Law - A Protection More Important Than PrivacyIn 1994, twice convicted sex offender Jesse Timmendequas raped and murdered Megan Kanka, a young girl from seven years old who lived across the street. In response to this emotionally charged crime, Megan's home state of New Jersey signed into law a community notification bill – dubbed "Megan's Law" – just three months later. This fall, a national version of the law took effect, requiring all fifty states to notify their citizens in writing of the presence of convicted sex offenders within their communities. Certainly society has a responsibility to protect children from sex offenders, and many believe Megan's Law is the best solution. However, others believe it is an unwarranted intrusion into the privacy rights of individuals who have already paid their debts to society. Megan Kanka should still be alive today, and as a society we have an undeniable responsibility to prevent tragedies like this from happening. taking place in the future. We must not simply react when sex crimes occur, but rather must take an active role in preventing them. Megan's Law is an effective attempt by lawmakers to help us achieve this goal. Indeed, it helps prevent these crimes by protecting children, our most defenseless citizens, from those who are most likely to put them in danger. Megan's Law operates under the logic that responsible parents, once informed that a designated "high-risk" sex offender lives nearby, will be able to prevent their children from being victims of another attack. One of its main motivations is the high rate of recidivism associated with sexual assault crimes. That's without even considering the large number of sexual offenses that go unreported each year. For this reason, under the Freedom of Information Act 1974, criminal records are in the public domain. Megan's Law can be seen as a logical extension of this law, channeling information to those who need it most. Criminal records must be disclosed when the well-being of others is at stake. Privacy is a valuable privilege, but it is not a right that trumps the common good of our society. Ultimately, the debate over Megan's Law boils down to a single question: How can we best keep ourselves and our children safe? communities? Because of the extremely high recidivism rate associated with sex crimes, because society has a duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and because concerns for the good of our society as a whole outweigh any individual right to privacy, it is imperative that Megan The law be upheld.