Editorial

RELEASE OF SEX OFFENDERS' NAMES OFFERS PROTECTION

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A new Missouri law took effect this week that requires the names of felony sex offenders to be made public. Since 1995, Missouri sex offenders have been required to register with local law enforcement authorities. But until last week, only police personnel and prosecutors had access to those records. Now, any citizen can request and, upon payment of reasonable copying fees, receive the list. Missouri and Illinois are two of 44 states that have some version of Megan's Law, providing some sort of public information or access to sex offenders' registrations. These laws are named after Megan Kanka, a 7-year-old New Jersey girl who was murdered in 1994 by a repeat sex offender. Sex offenders not listed on the public registries are:* Sex offenders who don't register, thereby violating Missouri's law.* Sex offenders convicted of misdemeanors.* Sex offenders who received suspended sentences instead of convictions.* Sex offenders convicted before 1979.

Now, as several cases of convicted sex offenders have surfaced, more people are wanting to know whether sex offenders live in their neighborhoods. Last month, a man convicted of molesting six boys in Maryland in 1992 was charged with molesting two children from Illinois in his St. Louis County apartment. The defendant, who has confessed, had been babysitting the boys.

This law isn't perfect and can be thwarted by some among us who are diabolical enough to engage in this disgusting behavior. Still, it offers an additional measure of protection for our defenseless children.