OneNewsNow.com - NJ's High Court will Hear Sex Offender Law

by Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow

The New Jersey Supreme Court will consider a case involving a community's desire to keep convicted sex offenders away from children.

In 2005 the Township of Galloway adopted an ordinance creating a 2,500-foot buffer zone between the residences of convicted offenders and locations where children congregate -- places like schools, playgrounds, parks, and daycare centers. The American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ), representing the township, is asking New Jersey's highest court to uphold the ordinance, which has been struck down by lower state courts.
 
The ACLJ's Vince McCarthy contends the law is in place because the rate of recidivism among sexual abusers is high and people need protection. But the American Civil Liberties Union argues offenders ought to be able to roam free because they have already served time for their crime and should not be punished any further.
 
"It's not that we're punishing the person again. It's that we're protecting the community from a repeat crime," argues McCarthy.
 
The state Supreme Court's decision will impact similar city ordinances throughout the state. A similar law, "Megan's Law," was upheld by the court in 1995. That law requires those convicted of a sex crime against a minor to register in the community where he or she resides.