This article first appeared on FMT. Image sourced from FMT.

Giving the public access to a sex offender registry could potentially lead to acts of revenge or vigilantism, but the benefits of having one are more important, says a criminologist.

Commenting on fresh calls for a sex offender registry, USM criminologist P Sundramoorthy said there were many models which Malaysia could adopt, including those developed in a number of American states.

Sex offender registries have been in existence for years in some US states with details of sex offenders, including their names, photographs and addresses, made public.

This hasn’t been without controversy, as some registered sex offenders have reportedly been targets of vigilante attacks and, in some cases, even murdered.

In one such incident in 2013, a couple was arrested and charged with murdering a registered sex offender and his wife. The primary suspect told the authorities that he planned to kill others on the state’s sex offender registry.

Sundramoorthy said such acts of vigilantism were a concern but it was more important to protect the community as a whole, especially those who were more vulnerable, such as women and children.

“What is important when we have such a registry is for the authorities to take strong action against anyone who tries to take justice into their own hands.”

He told FMT that, for Malaysia, a sex registry should only be for repeat sexual offenders and paedophiles, as they were of high risk to the public.

Sundramoorthy said if Malaysia had a sex offender registry, then details of the offender – including the offender’s photograph, address, and physical descriptions – should be made public.

“It would be prudent to share this registry with the public so they can take precautionary measures, especially those with young children.”

He added that the movements of the registered sex offenders should be restricted and, in the case of high risk offenders, monitored with electronic monitoring devices (EMD).

“We want sex offenders to be productive when they re-enter society but at the same time their movements should be restricted to the communities where they live.

“They must also be barred from going near schools, nurseries and even universities.”

He said the restriction of movement would also act as a deterrent as a registered sex offender would be aware that his movements were being watched at all times.

Sundramoorthy also said ideally, during the period they were registered as sex offenders, the offenders must be given both psychological counselling and psychiatric treatment.

Recently, Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamad said a sex offender registry was “very much needed” in Malaysia.

The idea of having a sex offender registry was mooted in 2007, following the brutal sexual assault and murder of eight-year-old Nurin Jazlin. Recent high profile sexual offence cases have reignited calls for such a registry.