The majority of federal laws related to sex offender registries were enacted in response to high-profile cases of child abduction, sexual assault, and murder, particularly in the 1990s and 2000s. These laws, like the Jacob Wetterling Act, Megan's Law, and the Adam Walsh Act, also known as the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), were created to establish and enhance sex offender registration and notification systems, aiming to protect communities by providing information about registered offenders.
It should be noted that the mother of Jacob Wetterling, Patricia Lynn Wetterling, who advocated for tougher laws on sex crimes which culminated in the congressional law named after her son, has become one of the most vocal critics of current sex offender registry laws, painting them as overly broad and unnecessarily causing tremendous harm to many. Wetterling is quick to say that she still supports registries as a law enforcement tool and believes in civil commitment for some offenders who are truly too dangerous to live in society. Yet she has a fundamental disagreement with the other victims' families. She is currently chair of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Her advocacy particularly focuses on protecting children from abduction and abuse.
