It has been nearly 18 months since a legislative study found that Nebraska’s pre-2010 laws regarding sexual offenses did a better job protecting the public than the state’s current version of the flawed Adam Walsh Act.
Here’s an excerpt from a story published in August 2013 in the Lincoln Journal Star:
“In nearly all cases, adoption of the Adam Walsh Act … results in the community being notified about more sex offenders. With the increase in cases, it becomes more difficult for citizens in the community to discern which offenders on the list are the most dangerous,” it said. “If the purpose of registry and community notification laws is to promote public safety, this widening of the net of offenders placed on the public list is in direct conflict with the primary purpose of sex offender registries.”
And:
“Consequently, the findings … call into question the accuracy and utility of the Adam Walsh Act classification system in detecting offenders that are at a high risk to re-offend. From a public safety standpoint … research suggests that public safety has not been enhanced by the adoption of the Adam Walsh Act … system,” the report said.
What do you do when research shows that your law jeopardizes public safety?