The law requires prosecutors to determine whether an offender poses a low, medium or high risk to the community.

The investigating law enforcement agency must determine that the offender poses a serious risk or threat to the public and other law enforcement personnel.

Under the New Jersey law, the extent of the notification is calibrated to an assessment of the risk that the former offender poses of committing a new crime.

For Garofalo, however, the only question to be considered at sentencing was the danger the offender posed to society, which was to be judged by an offender's "peculiarities."

Because of the seriousness of the sentence, she said, there should be a finding that the offender poses a danger "by clear and convincing evidence."

For offenders posing a 'low' risk of re-offense," the judges wrote, "the sole method of public access to registration information is through the special 900 phone number.

To receive a conditional sentence, the sentencing judge must be satisfied that the offender does not pose a danger to the community.

It is for this reason, Mr. Johnson said, that juvenile offenders sometimes pose a threat to adult inmates.

One needs to realise that offenders pose a possible future risk are under the supervion of the local Police Public Pritection Unit.

Some kiting rings involve offenders posing as large businesses, thereby masking their activity as normal business transactions and making banks inclined to waive the limit of funds made available.