Sarah's Law is often misunderstood and as a result unfounded criticisms have been leveled. Here are some questions and answers that explode the myths:
QUESTION: Will Sarah's Law mean everyone on the Sex Offenders Register has their name and address published?
ANSWER: No. Nor will it mean names and photographs are put onto websites or signs put up outside people's houses. Only information about the most serious types of offender will be released, in writing, to those who are legitimately entitled to it, such as parents and carers who live in the local area.
QUESTION: Won't Sarah's Law simply still create a wave of vigilante attacks?
ANSWER: No. Access to information would be carefully controlled by the police and there would be severe penalties for those who abuse it. In America, which has a less strict scheme than the one proposed under Sarah's Law, the overall level of vigilante attacks is minor. Former head of Scotland Yards Paedophile Squad, Bob McLachlan says, Sarahs Law is about working with the public not against it. The community has to understand that vigilantism will not be tolerated under any circumstances, but NOT telling the public the truth about paedophiles in their midst can lead to paranoia, mistaken identity and violence.
QUESTION: But hasn't there been a large number of murders in America where a similar scheme called Megans Law exists?
ANSWER: No. There are known to have been two double murders in recent times but this is in a country with 550,000 sex offenders and five times the population of the UK. In both cases, the assailants had criminal histories of their own. They did not live in the area where they committed the attacks and they would not have been entitled to information under Sarah's Law, which would have stricter safeguards than Megans Law.
QUESTION: Will Sarah's Law simply lead to paedophiles committing more crimes because it will drive them underground?
ANSWER: No. The Home Office admits that the police and probation services cannot monitor the movements of
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