Study on sex offender registration in New Jersey suggests its ineffectiveness

This new story from New Jersey, headlined ” Report finds Megan’s Law fails to reduce sex crimes, deter repeat offenders in N.J.”, ought to impact the debate over sex offender registration laws.  I doubt it will, in part because (as the article shows) politicians eager to show how tough they are rarely worry much about the true effectiveness of the laws they support. Still, for those authorities more interested in sound policy than popular rhetoric, this news should give everyone something to think about:

Megan’s Law, the landmark legislation that brought a new level of scrutiny to convicted sex offenders, has failed to deter sex crimes or reduce the number of victims since its passage 15 years ago, a new study concludes.

The federally funded study, conducted by the state Department of Corrections and Rutgers University and focused solely on New Jersey, suggests the growing cost of carrying out the law — estimated at $5.1 million statewide in 2007 — “may not be justifiable.”

“Despite wide community support for these laws, there is little evidence to date, including this study, to support a claim that Megan’s Law is effective in reducing either new first-time sex offenses or sexual re-offenses,” the researchers wrote in a 44-page report.

The study is the latest in a string of efforts to measure the effectiveness of Megan’s Law, which has been adopted in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Those earlier studies also found the measure does not act as a deterrent.

Defense lawyers and civil libertarians, who have long opposed the law and who have fought in court to overturn it, seized on Friday’s findings, calling on lawmakers to dismantle what has grown into an elaborate system for tracking sex offenders and notifying communities of their presence.

Megan’s Law supporters pushed right back, calling the measure a vital tool for parents to protect their children. State Sen. Bill Baroni (R-Mercer), said the study “completely misses the objective” of the law. “Any attempt to use this study to weaken or erode Megan’s Law will never succeed,” he said.