Home Affairs Minister Ian Le Marquand

THE proposed sex offenders register must not make it impossible for people to re-enter the community, according to Home Affairs Minister Ian Le Marquand.

Speaking yesterday to a scrutiny panel about a planned new sex offenders law, he said that if Jersey made Islanders aware of where known offenders were living – similar to Megan’s Law in America – it could cause problems.

Senator Le Marquand faced several questions from the Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny panel about the Draft Sex Offenders Law, which will be discussed by the States on 6 October.

The law proposes giving the police power to monitor known sex offenders by tracking where they live and allowing the courts to impose restraining orders to restrict their movements.

A public meeting will be held at St Paul’s Centre tonight for the minister to give further details of his proposals and to engage with Islanders on the issue. The meeting starts at 7 pm.