The impact of community notification on the management of sex offenders in the community: An Australian perspective

Abstract

Western Australia recently passed legislation that allows information about convicted sex offenders to be disclosed to the general public. After critically appraising the rationale behind community notification, this paper considers its impact on offenders’ reintegration into the community and their subsequent risk of reoffending, its potential deterrent effect and usefulness as a management tool, and implementation issues. This discussion identifies several factors that potentially moderate the effectiveness of community notification schemes and some directions for future research and the development of policy and practices in this area.

Keywords

Community disclosure community notification Megan’s Law public disclosure Sarah’s Law sex offender

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