particularly paedophiles, are released from jail. This would require new legislation.

There are concerns about screening applicants for positions within the Department of Education and concern to prohibit the entry into school property of those people who are convicted paedophiles.

The officials are quite correct as far as their deliberations go. They are right to be concerned about offences against children in the schools and about the safety of Bermuda's children.

However it does not appear to us that their deliberations are wideranging enough. Surely the children have a right to be protected outside the schools and other people, especially women, have the right to be protected from sex offenders in their neighbourhoods.

Most of this arises from the enactment in the United States of something called Megan's Law. Megan's Law is named for Megan Kanka, a seven-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in New Jersey in 1994 by a twice-convicted sex offender who lived across the street from her home.

Now the law in most states requires authorities to tell communities -- communities and neighbourhoods not just schools -- the whereabouts of convicted sex offenders. That law was challenged in the United States Supreme Court by lawyers for sex offenders and the Supreme Court turned down the appeal and left intact the notification provisions of Megan's Law which was enacted in New Jersey in 1995 and which has since been adopted by 36 other states.

Lawyers for sex offenders had argued that the disputed provisions violate the United States Constitution's Fifth Amendment protection against being punished twice for the same crime because such notice, and the public reaction it generates, amounts to punishment.

Last Monday the Supreme Court left the law intact which was a huge legal victory for proponents of such measures.

The New Jersey law calls for notice to schools, day-care centres and youth groups about moderate-risk offenders. For high-risk offenders, the law requires police to go door-to-door notifying neighbourhood residents.

The law also requires sex offenders who have been paroled or released after completing their prison sentences to register with local authorities when moving to a community. That requirement, now the law in all 50 US states, was not challenged in the US Supreme Court.

There may be a temptation in Bermuda to assume that everyone knows what goes on in their neighbourhood. However the public memory is short and communities are no longer as close knit as they once were. Therefore it would be a mistake to assume anything.

Do people have a right to know if a convicted sex offender is living near them? We think they do, especially if the person has offended against children. We also think women need to know when rapists are returned to the public, especially people who have been convicted of rape accompanied by violence.

We think Mr. Edness and his top officials should broaden their considerations especially now that we have a very ill-advised law which prohibits publication of the identity of some sex offenders. That is a law which we believe encourages people to offend because they think they will not be exposed. Under this law you could have a convicted sex offender who is released from jail move in with you and you have no prior information.

People have a right to protect themselves and their children. They have a right to know if they are in danger. We think Bermuda needs Megan's Law.