The public's right to know that a convicted sex offender is living or working in their neighborhood, far outweighs the constitutional rights of sexual predators. The type of crimes that sex offenders commit are most likely to be perpetrated on children and are highly likely to be repeated again and again. State registries for sexual offenders are effective preventative and investigative tools when utilized by law enforcement professionals and are a source of information for the public. The average prison time served for a sexually based offense against a child is only eleven years, and when the same crime is committed against an adult the time served in prison is even shorter. When released from prison with little or no restrictions placed upon them, these sex offenders often commit additional sexually based crimes. You often hear on the news the stories of young children kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and even murdered by people living in their own neighborhoods. Although some opponents argue the legality of these offender registries, the need to protect the children in our society is far more important than the need to protect the civil rights of convicted sex offenders, especially those who victimize our children.
             The state sex offender registries are necessary, because of the nature of these offenses, and the likelihood that these criminals will reoffend. Sexual offenders have a much higher recidivism rate than other felons. Sex crimes are compulsive crimes, not crimes committed because of a lack of good judgment. Recidivism rates for sexual offenders range between 18% and 45% depending on the degree of violence; the more violent the attack the greater the recidivism rate. Within two years after being released from prison almost 80% of sexual offenders are in prison again. Two-thirds of offenders convicted of sex crimes committed their crimes against children. In a study conducted by police in British Columbia,...