Humboldt County ranks 27th out of the 58 counties in California for the number of registered sex offenders, recent statistics show.

A public record request by The Eureka Reporter showed that 448 sex offenders were registered with law enforcement agencies in the county as of May 5.

Based on 2006 population statistics by the California State Association of Counties, one in 295 residents in the county are registered sex offenders.

Those numbers are high when comparing populations of like-sized counties and registrant statistics.

“It’s always been known we have a higher amount of registrants,” said Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Records Supervisor Melva Paris.

She thinks the rural, isolated environment of Humboldt appeals to registrants who don’t want to be bothered, which contributes to the number registered here.

People convicted of sex crimes, including rape, molestation and even indecent exposure in some cases, usually find that their sentence includes requirements to register to a database for the rest of their life.

Legislation like Megan’s Law, signed in 1996, allowed the public access to where certain sex offenders live in any given city, said California Department of Justice Spokesperson Abraham Arredondo.

Matthew Davis, recently found guilty of two counts of lewd and lascivious acts upon a child younger than 14 and one count of possession of child pornography, will have to register upon his release from prison.

If he decides to reside in Humboldt, he would join a large number of sex offenders in the county convicted of sex crimes against a minor.

The vast majority of the 310 sex offenders, whose information is required to be made public in Humboldt County, registered for sex crimes against a minor.

Of those registered, and whose information is public record, 28 are in violation of registering requirements and only six are females.

Not all sex offenders convicted of a sex crime have their information made public. Some crimes, like spousal rape, require an offender to register, but only law enforcement officials have access to that information, Paris said.

Megan’s Law came as a result of the brutal rape and murder of then-seven-year-old Megan Kanka in New Jersey by a convicted sex offender that lived across the street.

Although in that case, a stranger engaged in the sexual assault of the child, it’s usually the rare example.

Around 90 percent of the time, family members and close friends commit sexual assault on children, said North Coast Rape Crisis Team Client Services Coordinator Maryann Hayes-Marinani.

“It’s much more common,” she said.

Though measures like Megan’s Law help raise public awareness about sex offenders residing in the area, Arredondo said it’s difficult to judge what benefits have come about since the law’s passing.

Although having a sex offender’s information made public can be helpful to a survivor’s healing process, Hayes-Marinani said relying solely on the legal system to heal isn’t a good thing.

This is because not all cases of sexual assault on children lead to convictions, or are even reported for that matter.

“It can be a tremendous validation when it happens,” she said of conviction.

Although Hayes-Marinani appreciates measures like Megan’s Law, relying too much on what is seen as a “quick and easy fix” to addressing sex crimes won’t help solve the root causes.

“(The community) gets a false sense of security,” she said. “This is a silent, secretive crime.”

Educating children on the differences between consensual and non-consensual sex can help prepare them to spot signs of abuse and better protect themselves, Hayes-Marinani said.

Paris said the HCSO seldom has problems when dealing with registrants under their jurisdiction, like county residents and transients.

“Those people have to live,” she said. “Unfortunately, they have to live with (the Sheriff’s Office).”