Megan's Law, a Helpful Tool
Consultant to the VIRTUS® Programs
On a recent broadcasting of a popular talk show a segment was featured entitled "How Two Families’ Tragedies are Helping Protect Your Children." Mr. and Mrs. Richard Kanka were introduced as one of the families and a picture of their precious daughter, Megan, appeared over their heads.
The talk show host graciously welcomed them and asked them to explain the significance of their child's legacy, now recognized as Megan's Law. A deep sadness was evident as the audience learned that Megan was kidnapped from the Kanka family's front yard and was later found deceased, having been sexually assaulted by a formerly convicted sex offender.
Megan was a vulnerable victim of a known sex offender, residing in what was thought to be a safe and secure neighborhood. As a result of what was done to Megan, her parents took action to obtain the passage of a law requiring law enforcement to inform the public of the residential whereabouts of convicted sex offenders.
Megan's Law, now a national database, has impacted all of our schools, parishes and dioceses. We are all recipients of this inheritance that was Megan's death; it provides us with valuable information about our neighbor. If you recall from our publications, the Bishop's Charter for the Protection and Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults calls for background checks, sexual abuse awareness and prevention programs. All of these requirements have ultimately highlighted the need for everyone to be more vigilant in their service to ministries within the Catholic Church. As a compliment to the Charter, many dioceses have now implemented a local Megan's Law policy that has helped parishes and schools to recognize the parent of a present student or a parishioner who is identified on the Megan's Law website. In combination with the background check, the information on the Megan' Law page may cause a diocese to impose restrictions on the parent or parishioner's presence or participation in school or parish activities where children are present, while also ensuring that the adult may still have access to the Sacraments.
One concern regarding websites that feature the residences of sexual offenders is that the website may not accurately or fully disclose all of the offenses that are related to the offender. In addition, it may never be able to reflect a complete identification or proper addresses of the offenders, so the website cannot be seen as a total account, as it is updated only periodically with new pictures and information. The website is a snapshot on a given day, but future correspondence could alter the position of the parish or school toward the offender. The Megan's Law website, and other sex offender registry websites like it, should be regarded as tools for keeping our children safe, but should also be used in conjunction with other pertinent information and avenues that are available to the public.
Mrs. Kanka's remarks were not limited to the Megan's Law website. Although the site is for adults, she said, it also can never be underestimated how important it is to let children know how they can protect themselves. Mr. and Mrs. Kanka, while carrying this deep heartache, were courageous to share their experience with us. We owe a great debt of gratitude to the Kankas for their ongoing efforts to honor the memory of Megan so that we may remain diligent. May we show our allegiance to them by taking their words to heart and by never becoming relaxed in our efforts to protect the children in our care.
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