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There are many websites offering sex offender data for a fee. Most of them play on the fears of people in order to make money. However, the truth is that the most accurate and timely data is actually free and comes directly from the states and is coordinated by the Federal Government.
History and Background
The Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act was passed by Congress in 1994 and requires states to implement a sex offender and crimes against children registry. Meghan's Law in 1996 amended the Wetterling Program legislation to give states broad discretion to determine to whom notification should be made about offenders, under what circumstances, and about which offenders. Further, the Pam Lychner Sexual Offender Tracking and Identification Act of 1996 required the Attorney General to establish a national database at the FBI to track the whereabouts and movements of certain convicted sex offenders.
Sex Offender Registry
The National Sex Offender Public Registry website is coordinated by the Department of Justice and enables every citizen to search the latest information from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico for the identity and location of known sex offenders. The information contained in the national registry and the state registries is identical; the national registry simply enables a search across multiple states. For a complete list of individual state registries, visit the FBI list of State Sex Offender registries. Another great resource provided by the FBI is the Crimes Against Children website.
Sexual Assault in America Statistics
source: New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence and RAINN-Rape Abuse & Incest National Network.
- According to the Department of Justice statistics a sexual assault occurs every 2.5 minutes in this country.
- A national survey found that 1 in 33 men experienced a completed or attempted rape at some point in their lifetime.
- In 2004, 35.8% of rapes and sexual assaults were reported to the police. Among female victims of rape and sexual assault, 67% of the crimes were committed by intimates, other relatives, friends or acquaintances.
- Between one-third and one-half of all battered women are raped by their partners at least once during their relationship.
- The age at which a female is at greatest risk for rape or sexual assault is 14.
- According to the results of a 2003 national survey of students in ninth through 12th grades, 9% of students had been physically forced to have sexual intercourse.
- Among college students nationwide, between 20% and 25% of women reported experiencing completed or attempted rape.
- There is a relationship between victimization as a minor and subsequent victimization: Women who reported they were raped before age 18 were twice as likely to report being raped as an adult.
Sex Offender Resource Links
- Sex Offender Facts and Fiction
- Center for Sex Offender Management
- Megan's Law - How to Protect your Yourself and Family
- The National Sex Offender Public Registry
- FBI-Crimes Against Children Website
- RAINN-Rape Abuse & Incest National Network
