The Home Office has said today that it believes that 60 children have been protected from potential abuse by Sarah's Law, in which details of convicted sex offenders can be publicly disclosed. But some have suggested it has become a "revenge tactic" used when parents break up to check up on ex-partners' new boyfriends.
Are you in favour of the law? Do you work in one of pilot areas - if so, how has it worked out?
CareSpace support
Sarah's Law is counterproductive and far from protecting children could place them at greater risk.
A child should not be left alone with the most docile of dogs.
A person must be assumed to be HIV positive if there is a risk of blood contamination.
Likewise if one does not have first hand experiance of an individual that person must be assumed to have a propensity to behave innapropriately. Even with familiarity then there are no guarantees.
"Nothing known" could mean a lowering of guard. Most of the push for Sarah,s Law is from the retribution brigade.
I lived close to one of the pilot areas and our local results (21 children apparently protected) were published weeks ago, Im not sure why it has taken the national press so long to catch up. It seems the officers using this law have so far managed it appropriately as there haven't been any reports of names being leaked into the public, vigilante attacks etc.
I have no objection to "Sarah's Law", but it does worry me that it could become the populist all-conquering answer to child sex offenders, and thereby take attention away from the much bigger picture. The popular media like things that "solve" problems and do not stay long with issues that are complex, hidden and in some respects intractable.
Shirack: Sarah's Law is counterproductive and far from protecting children could place them at greater risk. A child should not be left alone with the most docile of dogs. A person must be assumed to be HIV positive if there is a risk of blood contamination. Likewise if one does not have first hand experiance of an individual that person must be assumed to have a propensity to behave innapropriately. Even with familiarity then there are no guarantees. "Nothing known" could mean a lowering of guard. Most of the push for Sarah,s Law is from the retribution brigade.
Wholehearted agreement, there was an ex copper interviewed on Radio 5 the day this magnifcent piece of protective work was announced, he specialised in sex abuse cases as a copper and now as an independent worker. Statistics show that in America, since the advent of Megan's law, 30% of the America's most high profile sex offenders have gone underground and cannot be located.