OneNewsNow.com - N.J. High Court Hears Sexual Predator Case

by Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow

You can listen to the report here.

A New Jersey lawyer hopes to enact stricter measures that would protect children from sexual predators.

The American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) has defended an ordinance of the Township of Galloway before the New Jersey Supreme Court dealing with convicted child predators.
 
In the case of G.H. v. Township of Galloway, ACLJ senior attorney Vince McCarthy argued in favor of an ordinance requiring convicted sexual predators to live and stay at least 2,500 feet away from where children congregate -- such as schools, playgrounds, parks, and daycare centers. In a press release, he says the measure is designed to compliment "Megan's Law," which was upheld in 1995 and requires a convicted sex criminal to register in his or her residing community.
 
"Surprisingly the court seemed to have a lot of sympathy for convicted sexual offenders who, statistics show, have the highest rate of recidivism among all criminals," McCarthy notes. "These are folks who are found to commit the same crime that they committed before."
 
The ACLU of New Jersey is representing "G.H.," the convicted sex offender, and argues that Galloway's new ordinance would add additional punishment against the predator who has already "paid his debt to society."
 
McCarthy laments the lack of support and notes the horrors of sex crimes. "They should be present at some of these town meetings and listen to the stories that people have to tell about their neighbors and themselves and what they've been through with sexual predators," he concludes.