Public Safety and Privacy

Running head : PUBLIC SAFETY AND PRIVACY

Public Safety and Privacy

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Abstract

After the terrorist attacks of 9 /11 , the U .S . constantly tries to find the correct balance between privacy and public safety . Connecticut Department of Public Safety v . John Doe has revealed the important implications of public safety towards privacy in the United States

Public Safety and Privacy

Introduction

The terrorist acts of 9 /11 have revealed serious inconsistencies between public safety and privacy in the legal system of

the United States . Numerous laws , legal norms , and Supreme Court decisions have only increased the growing tension between the two notions of public safety and privacy . The natural state 's desire to protect its citizens from terrorist threats has evidently neglected the importance of stable balance between public safety and privacy . As a result , the state cannot effectively promote both legal values and has to sacrifice one legal notion for the sake of protecting the other

Connecticut v . Doe : summary of the case

Among other things , Connecticut 's `Megan 's Law ' requires persons convicted of sexual offenses to register with the Department of Public Safety (DPS ) upon their release into the community , and requires DPS to post a sex offender registry containing registrant 's names , addresses photographs , and s on an Internet website and to make the registry available to the public in certain state offices (Supreme Court of the United States , 2002

In the case of Connecticut Department of Public Safety v . Doe , the Supreme Court of the United States has actually overturned the s of the lower district courts , which prescribed Connecticut Department of Public Safety to shut down its official website , which presented the visitors with the information about convicted sex offenders , and to prevent public access to printed information about sex offenders . The lower courts concluded that spreading information about sex offenders and making it public initially implicated the liberty interests of those who could become potential registrants of the discussed website (Supreme Court of the United States , 2002

Supreme Court of the United States has completely disagreed with the previous decisions of the lower courts . John Doe was trying to defend his position by stating that he was not dangerous during the time when he was registered at the website . However , the Supreme Court has come to conclusion that regardless the danger sex offenders actually presented they had to be registered . Objectively , it does not matter whether the sex offender is dangerous or not . Connecticut 's Megan 's Law ' does not refer to any particular level of danger , according to which sex offenders should or should not be registered at Connecticut 's DPS website . It was sufficient for the U .S . Supreme Court to state that sex offenders were given an opportunity to contest their guilt during the sex offense court proceedings . Regardless the danger sex offenders represent , they must be registered at Connecticut DPS website , and to make their personal information publicly accessible

Connecticut v . Doe : implications...