Bad Law

Bad law results when tragic circumstances cause legislators and citizens to make knee-jerk changes in the law when feelings are still raw.

Megan Kanka was killed by a neighborhood sex offender in New Jersey. Tragic.  We now have "Megan's Law" everywhere, creating public sex registries.  Are our children safer in the aftermath of this law? Everything I read indicates otherwise.

Maggie's Law is a New Jersey statute passed in the wake of the 1997 traffic fatality of Maggie McDonnell due to a sleep-deprived driver.  Results?  It's now a 10 year felony to drive drowsy in New Jersey.

California's three strike law was passed in the panic filled days after Polly Klass's murder.  Another tragic crime. Is California safer from violent criminals now that prior to the passage of this ill-thought out law, or is California just incarcerating massive numbers of non-violent felons? Everything I've read indicates the latter.

In the aftermath of the recent tragedy in Florida, I implore state and federal legislators to REALLY think through the consequences (intended and otherwise) of passing some sort of "Caylee's Law" that would require parents to report the accidental death of a child to the police within an hour, and a missing child within a day.

Please think this through.  It's just not a good idea.

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