Support Grows For Sex Offender Register

ACT New Zealand Associate Justice Spokesman Deborah Coddington today said that she supports the Sensible Sentencing Trust's submission to the Government - and in particular - Item 10, which states "Assurance of urgency for a publicly available register for all sex offenders, and violent offenders".

"It is great to see so much more public support for these types of registers. In 1996, when I first published the `Paedophile and Sex Offenders Index,' there was very little public support," Miss Coddington said.

"My Private Members Bill - to be introduced to Parliament on July 30 - is the first step toward passing legislation which will give people more information, and the power, to keep their communities safe.

"My Bill doesn't go as far as Sensible Sentencing would like: the public will not have automatic access to the names of sex offenders whose names are suppressed to protect children and other victims.

"However, I was concerned to introduce legislation which would be automatically voted down by those who would see it as too close to Megan's Law - as in the US - and too extreme," Miss Coddington said.

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