Slipping Through the Cracks and Into Schools: The Need For a Uniform Sexual Predator Tracking System
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2008
Abstract
Over half a million registered sex offenders currently live in the United States. Sex offenses are among the most devastating crimes because of the long-lasting emotional, physical, and psychological effects it has on victims. Sadly, most victims of sex offenses are innocent children. "Most sex offenders are not in prison, and ... are largely unknown to people in the community." Sex offenders also have a propensity for reoffending their crimes. "While community supervision and oversight is widely recognized as essential, the system for providing such supervision is overwhelmed." There are many loopholes in the current system that allow sex offenders to slip through the cracks unnoticed. Many predators remain undetected because law enforcement lacks the resources to track their whereabouts. There is need for a uniform system to track sex offender/predators. A uniform system would provide consistency for registration and community notification of the presence of sex offenders, thereby decreasing the chances of future victimization of innocent children. Several states now have their own systems in place, but new systems with improved technology are needed to track offenders as they wander from state to state. Failure to track these serious offenders will leave them free to continue assaulting victims.
Recommended Citation
Page, Cheryl, "Slipping Through the Cracks and Into Schools: The Need For a Uniform Sexual Predator Tracking System" (2008). Journal Publications. 292.
https://commons.law.famu.edu/faculty-research/292