Should you be entitled to know the identity of registered sex offenders, particularly if they live near you or the school your children attend?
The Oireachtas Justice Committee discussed this yesterday, looking at a proposal to bring in a new proposal to bring in a new Sex Offenders Act which would allow disclosure in limited circumstances.
Noeline Blackwell, CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, says her position on the issue is a complex one.
"In a way, the purpose of having a registry would be to make sure that a community and a victim felt safer."
"But inevitably the public registry will drive people to be suspicious and to want to isolate the previous offender in an effort to keep themselves safe, and that just drives offenders into a marginalised place where there's no great value to them in not re-offending."
Jim O'Callaghan, Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Justice and Equality, says the public needs to be protected, but "my concern about having a public document is that it's going to encourage sex offenders to go beneath the radar."
"They're not going to cooperate in terms of being on a register, and they're not going to cooperate with the Gardaí in terms of letting them know where they are. Everyone agrees that's when a convicted offender is extremely dangerous."
To catch the full chat press the play button on the image on the top of the screen
