America has strict laws which protect our citizens from predators; sex offender registries are an illustration of just that. Some argue that registries are a good way to protect the community and solve problems created by offenders reentering society. For example, many think the registry protects people from predators because people know where the predators are. On the other hand, some people believe that community notification has little, if any, impact on the likelihood that a convicted sex criminal will strike again. They believe it even hinders their ability to rejoin society without the chance of reoffending. Although sex offender registries are meant to help keep predators away and aid with their reintegration into society, the usage of such lists is unlawful and promotes discrimination. We should reform said registries so these offenders can successfully rejoin society.
Since the early 1990's, sex offenders have had to register on the national sex offender registry list so that it would be easier for states to track them. The first of these laws was put into effect in by the U.S. government in 1994, and new laws have been helping the system evolve into the programs and registry lists we have today. Every time Congress passed a new law to help with the racking of sex offenders, many states would also change the way they operate and pass their own laws so that they can work more efficiently under federal guidelines. The first law enacted by Congress regards sex offender registration came in 1994 with the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act. This act established guidelines for states to track sex offenders and required states to confirm their place of residence annually for ten years after their release into the community, or quarterly, for the rest of their lives if the sex offender had been convicted of a violent sex offense.