Heartbreaking stories of child abduction and molestation are commonplace in today's news media, causing anger, fear and sadness throughout the American public. Clearly, sexual violence is a major social problem in our communities, and it impacts victims from every walk of life without regard for economic status, educational background or age.
The primary purpose of sex offender laws is to protect children from sexual predators and to prevent sex crimes from occurring. Although every state now has residency and registry requirements for convicted sex offenders, it is becoming apparent that the current laws may not be enough to protect children from the threat of sex offenders who are employed in certain child-related professions.
In late June 2010, New York Congressman Chuck Shumer announced that he was proposing legislation that would close loopholes in federal law to limit employment options for sex offenders. He reported that there are many youth-focused jobs - such as coaches, lifeguards, karate instructors, amusement park workers and dance teachers - that do not automatically exclude sex offenders from employment.
One of the most recent comprehensive federal laws affecting sex offenders is the Adam Walsh Child Protection Safety Act. The federal statute, signed into law in 2006, accomplishes several things: The Act requires sex offenders to register their home and work addresses with law enforcement. It also established a national sex offender registry that is accessible to the general public, and it imposes mandatory minimum sentences for those who commit sexual assaults against children or engage in child prostitution and sex trafficking.
In addition to the federal sex offender laws, most states prohibit sex offenders from living or working near parks, schools and day care centers, with the goal of keeping pedophiles and other sexual predators out of areas where children are likely to be.
But with all the things that our federal and state laws do achieve, they do not offer a means of monitoring professions or enterprises that involve close contact with children. While the existing laws limit the locations in which sex offenders may live and work, they do not restrict the type of work that sex offenders may perform.
Schumer's proposed legislation has not yet been presented to Congress, but he continues to campaign on the issue. Many victims' advocacy groups, such as Safe Horizon, support Schumer's efforts, while opponents of the proposed legislation argue that laws should focus instead on stabilizing and reforming offenders. Public sentiment is largely favorable of Schumer's efforts; however, recent reports of declining rates of sex offender recidivism paired with the skyrocketing cost of offender monitoring programs may prompt voters to seek more reform and fewer restrictions.
