Children need your parental supervision and guidance to be sure that their experiences online are positive and productive, and that they stay out of harm's way.

Below are listed some of the more common risks children and teenagers can encounter while online:

• being exposed to inappropriate material(s), photos, that are sexual, violent or hateful, or encourage dangerous or illegal activities.
   

• In past instances, pedophiles have used e-mail to try to set up face-to-face meetings.
   

• bulletin boards or chat groups to befriend a child and then try to arrange an encounter.
   

• harassment from e-mail, taunts and comments that are obscene or threatening.
   

• risks in instances when a child may give out a parent's credit card number or other personal, financial information.

Some helpful rules for children and teenagers who go online include:

• Never give out personal information, such as name, home address, telephone number, or school name, without parental permission.
   

• Become familiar with the Internet and any online services your children use. Spend some time with your children and have them show you what they do while they are online. In this way, you can become familiar with all the things that can be done online, and you can try to recommend fun and educational sites to your children.
   

• Never allow children to arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they meet online without parental permission. If you approve of such a meeting, make it in a public place, and be sure to accompany your child.
   

• Encourage your children to tell you if they encounter messages or bulletin board items that are suggestive obscene,
  belligerent, or threatening. If you or your child receive a message that is harassing or threatening, forward a copy of the message to your Internet Service Provider, and ask for their help. Tell your children not to click on any links that are sent via e-mail from people they don't know. These links often lead to sexually explicit or other inappropriate web sites.
   

• Try to realize that people online may not be who they seem. Because you can't see the person it is easy for someone to misrepresent himself. For example, a 40-year-old man may be posing as a 12-year old boy or even a young girl.
   

• Do not respond to any offers that involve having someone visit your house, having a face-to-face meeting with someone, or sending money or credit information.
   

• Set reasonable rules for your child's computer use and discuss these rules with your child. Too much time spent using
  online services or the Internet may be a clue that there is a potential problem.
   

• Finally, blocking and filtering programs, as well as web site ratings can be helpful in keeping children from wandering
  into areas of the Internet that may be inappropriate.
  
  Some filtering programs are SurfWatch, NetNanny, and CyberPatrol. America Online offers "Parental Controls" that can create a customized account for children. You can then set the controls in a variety of ways, such as allowing them to receive e-mail only from people they know, or access to sites that have been rated as safe for children.

NEW JERSEY Megan's LAW

Information And Resources Back To New Jersey Megan's Law By State

New Jersey Megan's Law and Victim's Rights

 

(1)The right to respect

A victim of a crime shall be treated with fairness, compassion and respect by the criminal justice system.

(3)The right to be present

A victim of a crime shall not be denied the right to be present at public judicial proceedings except when properly sequestered in accordance with law or Court Rule prior to completing his or her testimony as a witness.

Please refer to the Constitution of the State of New Jersey ARTICLE I, PARAGRAPH 22 for further information regarding the victims' rights.

ARTICLE I, PARAGRAPH 22.

22. A victim of a crime shall be treated with fairness, compassion and respect by the criminal justice system, shall not be denied the right to be present at public judicial proceedings except when properly sequestered in accordance with law or Court Rule prior to completing his or her testimony as a witness, and shall be entitled to those rights and remedies as may be provided by the Legislature. For the purposes of this paragraph, the phrase "victim of a crime" shall mean: a) a person who has suffered physical or psychological injury or has incurred loss of or damage to personal or real property as a result of a crime or an incident involving another person operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and b) the spouse, parent, legal guardian, grandparent, child or sibling of the decedent in the case of a criminal homicide.

Contact Person: New Jersey State Police 609-882-2000. Ask for Records Assembly.

Offenders Required to Register: Sex offenders who have been released from custody since Megan's Law went into effect on October 31`, 1994, are required to register with the police. In addition, offenders who were on parole or probation on the effective date of the law, as well as offenders who have been found to be repetitive and compulsive by experts and the courts - regardless of the date of sentence - are required to register. Offenses include: aggravated sexual assault; sexual assault; aggravated criminal sexual contact; endangering the welfare of a child by engaging in sexual conduct which would impair or debauch the morals of the child; luring or enticing and, if the victim were a minor and the offender not a parent, kidnapping; criminal restraint and false imprisonment.

Information Collected: Name, social security number, age, race, sex, date of birth, height, weight, hair and eye color, address of legal residence, address of any current temporary residence, date and place of employment. Date and place of each conviction, adjudication or acquittal by reason of insanity, indictment number, fingerprints, photograph and a brief description of the crime or crimes for which registration is required; and any other information that the Attorney General deems necessary to assess risk of future commission of a crime, including criminal and corrections records, non privileged personnel, treatment, and abuse registry records, and evidentiary genetic markers when available.

Administrating Agency: Superintendent of State Police, Department of Corrections, Administrative Office of the Courts, Department of Human Services, Division of Motor Vehicles of the Department of Law and Public Safety, Attorney General, local law enforcement, Division of State Police.

Timeframe for Registration: Registered prior to release; upon being placed on supervision; within 70 days of entering state; 10 days prior to changing address.

Applies to Out of State Offenders: Yes

Duration of Requirement: Life, however certain offenders may apply to State Superior Court to terminate obligation to register if no offense committed within 15 years following conviction or release.

Verification of Address: Every 90 days for repetitive and compulsive offenders; annually for all others.

Penalties for Non-Compliance: Crime of the fourth degree.

Access to Information: The state Departments of Corrections and Human Services are responsible for informing county prosecutors about the anticipated release of sex offenders. In turn, the prosecutors must determine risk to the community - the likelihood that the offender will commit another crime. Hearings are provided to those offenders who challenge the prosecutor's risk determination or the proposed scope of notification. Notification can proceed when the court issues a final order authorizing the county prosecutor to provide relevant information to the appropriate groups of individuals. Sex offenders who reside in the community are classified by prosecutors in one of three "tiers" based on the degree of risk they pose to the public. The sex offender Internet registry includes information pertaining to sex offenders determined to pose a relatively high risk of re-offense (tier 3 offenders) and, with certain exceptions, information about sex offenders found to pose a moderate risk of re-offense (tier 2 offenders). The Internet registry excludes any information about offenders determined to present a low risk of re-offense (tier 1 offenders). However, law enforcement agencies are notified of the presence of all sex offenders.

Confidentiality Provision: It is a crime, punishable by a term of imprisonment between three and five years and a fine of up to $15,000, to use registry information to commit a criminal offense, and makes it a disorderly persons offense, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, to use registry information to commit any disorderly persons or petty disorderly persons offense. These charges would be in addition to any charges related to the underlying criminal act committed.

Number Registered: 8,831 as of 7/29/02 (5,559 tier one; 2,386 tier two or moderate risk & 160 tier three or high risk offenders).

Percent Compliance: Not known*