FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                         VAW
FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 1995                              (202) 514-2008
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888

                                 
               JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES POLICY
     ON REGISTERING SEX OFFENDERS UNDER JACOB WETTERLING ACT

                  "This is About Peace of Mind"

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Attorney General Janet Reno today signed
federal guidelines that should lead to laws in all 50 states
requiring sexual offenders and child molesters to register with the
authorities.  The action comes only two days after the Department
of Justice submitted its views in support of New Jersey's "Megan's
Law," which was challenged by a sex offender.

     The proposed guidelines implement the 1994 Crime Bill's Jacob
Wetterling Act, which encourages states to require convicted child
molesters and sexually violent offenders to notify law enforcement
of their whereabouts for 10 years after they are released, or
longer if they are adjudicated as "sexually violent predators." 
States that do not comply could forfeit up to 10 percent of their
annual Byrne Grant anti-crime grants.

     "This is about peace of mind," said Bonnie Campbell, Director
of the Justice Department's Violence Against Women Office.  "When
a sex offender moves, the law should move with them.  People need
to have the assurance that local police know when child molesters
and sex offenders are released from prison."

     State efforts to date have been piecemeal, and few states
regularly verify an offender's address.  Today's proposed
guidelines provide minimum national standards and will help state
law enforcement agencies communicate with each other regarding sex
offenders who cross state lines.

Implementing the Wetterling Act

     "As a former state Attorney General, I know these guidelines
provide the leadership and flexibility to help states get the job
done fast, and make sex offender registration the law of the land
without delay or red tape," said Campbell.  "We are asking states
to establish a registration system that will get law enforcement
the information they need, and encouraging states to establish
community notification systems when necessary to ensure public
safety," said Campbell.  

     "It is my hope that all 50 states will adopt legislation in
the next three years."

     Campbell was Attorney General of Iowa from 1990-94, where she
led an effort to enact state sex offender registry and a sexually
violent predator law.

     The guidelines for the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against
Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act are
expected to be published for comment in the Federal Register the
week of April 10th.  States and other interested parties will have
3 months to submit comments.

     In 1989, 11-year old Jacob Wetterling of St. Joseph, Minnesota
was abducted at gunpoint by a masked man.  Wetterling has never
been located.


Defending "Megan's Law"

     The announcement came only two days after the Justice
Department filed an amicus brief with the New Jersey Supreme Court
defending that state's sexual offender registration act, known as
Megan's Law.  The amicus brief defends the constitutionality of the
law's registration and community notification provisions. 

     Megan's law, which requires that communities be notified of
released sex offenders, was challenged last year by a convicted
child molester.  A New Jersey Superior Court determined that the
"stigma" of community notification could unconstitutionally
interfere with the offenders's relationships with his employer and
neighbors.  

     In its brief, the Justice Department argues that Megan's Law
does not violate any Constitutional liberty interest, and that the
law is a reasonable method of protecting public safety in light of
the serious problem of recidivism among sex offenders.

     Oral argument in John Doe v. Poritz has been set for May 2. 
The Docket Number in the New Jersey Supreme Court is 39,989.

     Unlike Megan's Law, the Wetterling Act does not require that
communities be notified of the release of sex offenders -- only
that state and local law enforcement be notified.  The Wetterling
Act sets only minimum standards, and does not bar states from
enacting more stringent notification systems like New Jersey's.

     On July 27, 1994, 7-year old Megan Kanka of Hamilton Square,
New Jersey was assaulted, raped and murdered by an ex-convict
living across the street who had already served time for sexual
offenses.  Megan's Law was passed last October.

                               ###

95-199