Throughout the history of our civilization, societies have always labeled people as the first step to their elimination. Laws mandating that anybody convicted - or even on deferred adjudication - for a sex offense are the most recent step in an attempt to eliminate an entire segment of a troubled population.
The problem with sex offender registration laws is that the list of registerable offenses grows longer and longer each legislative session. The public should rightfully fear the person who abducts and kills young children after sexually abusing them. If the registration list was limited to these individuals, a good argument could be made that the public should be informed if they are living down your block.
However, the people that commit the most horrific crimes aren't living down your block; they're serving life sentences in prison. The people who are on probation are typically those that are not violent, are engaged in sex offender treatment and therapy, and are trying to develop the insight and awareness into a horrific error in judgment. The people who are refusing to register are the ones to worry about.
To date, there has yet to be a published study documenting the statistical significance or deterrent effect of Megan's Law. One of the problems with the current system of sex offender registration is that juveniles are included on the list. When you search for sex offenders in your neighborhood, the high school senior who is on probation for messing around with an underage girl is no different than the 45-year old who molested his stepdaughter. Furthermore, as the person registers every year, the database requires that he submit a current picture. However, the age of the victim always stays the same. A 17 year old convicted of consensual sex with a minor (statutory rape) who registers for 10 years will now look like a 27 year old who abused a 13 year old.
If convicted of a sex offense, the registration requirements range from 10 years to lifetime registration. There are small windows for juveniles and young offenders to defer or exempt registration, and the Firm has a 100% success rate in these endeavors