Guest Author - Jeanette Norman

I have received a lot of e-mails and search requests here at the Domestic Violence site about how to find out if there is a sexual offender in your neighborhood. The first place to start would be the website for your state government. Prevent Abuse Now.com (Click here) provides links to states websites. I found when I clicked on Ohio’s, I had to click on another. I eventually got to the information I was looking for for my neighborhood. Don’t fall for those websites out there that make you pay a registration fee to access information on sexual offenders! This information is supplied for free through state websites!

Another site that I found useful is the United States Department of Justice’s National Sex Offender Public Registry. It is located here.

Why would you want to know who is a sexual offender in your neighborhood? Not only do we want to protect our children if you have any but say if you are at the local grocery store and a man begins talking with you and suggests you get to know each other better. You exchange phone numbers or, to be on the safe side, you just get his. You can use these registries to protect yourself from past offenders. I am not saying once a sexual offender, always a sexual offender, but you just never know if a rapist, kidnapper, etc. WON’T strike again. You will have to use your own judgment if you find that the man seeking your affection has been convicted.