Entrapment and Megan's Law

Entrapment is the act of a law enforcement agent inducing a person to commit an offence which the person would otherwise have been unlikely to commit.

Megan's Law is an informal name for laws in the United States requiring law enforcement authorities to make information available to the public regarding registered sex offenders.

Megan's law has serious consequences, and both the police and the media make big announcements whenever someone is accused of a sex offense with a minor. Sometimes, it seems as if the principal of innocent until proven guilty is ignored.

For example, Megan's Law is used when television shows such as "To Catch a Predator" find adults willing to have sexual relationships with minors. The producers of the show create scenarios that lure individuals into a trap, which seems very much like entrapment. Dateline anchor Stone Phillips concedes that "... in many cases, the decoy is the first to bring up the subject of sex." Using Megan's Law, which has serious consequences, in order to get ratings, is not only a travesty of justice, but dangerous to those entrapped. In fact, a Texas prosecutor blew his brains out as he was about to be busted in an underage-sex sting set up by "Dateline."

Megan's Law in California is designed to create a safe-haven for children by making everyone convicted of a sex offense with a minor register as a sex offender. This is an online database which anyone can search. Unfortunately, what winds up happening is that individuals are found guilty simply by being accused, before any trial even takes place.

Finding a qualified Megan's Law attorney will not only spare an individual jail time, but could also keep them from getting fired, getting thrown out of their community and becoming a pariah.