LEGAL UPDATE
Bush Signs Law for National Sex Offender Registry
On July 27, 1981 six year-old Adam Walsh was abducted and eventually killed. His kidnapping and murder led his father, John Walsh, to lead a crusade against violent crime. As part of his mission, he became host of a national television show aimed at catching criminals, America's Most Wanted.
Now, Adam's death has led to tough new legislation that President Bush signed into law late last year, the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. The law will create a national sex offender registry and aims to make it harder for sexual predators to contact children on the Internet.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, there are more than 560,000 registered sex offenders in the United States. An additional 100,000 are not registered or do not have up-to-date registrations.
The Act will create a national sex offender registry to plug gaps in existing state systems and community notification requirements. An offender who does not keep his registration current in any state in which he lives, works or attends school could face felony charges and up to 10 years in prison.
In addition, the bill establishes education grants, and provides funding for 200 new federal prosecutors and 45 new computer forensic scientists to address the issues of Internet predators and online pornography.
Though the law is facing legal challenges questioning its constitutionality, it has already resulted in numerous sex offender arrests.
(Source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com)
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