This study examines the public perception of sex offender policies and the perceived impact of sex offender policies on the sex offenders themselves. Specifically, this study explores how the community feels about the effectiveness of policies such as registration and community notification (Megan’s Law), and housing restrictions in reducing sexual recidivism. Data are collected from 115 participants from a nationwide online community message board. Results suggest that although most individuals support Megan’s Law, they do not feel the policy reduces recidivism. Furthermore, the majority of the participants also do not believe that housing restriction statutes are effective in reducing sexual recidivism. When questioned about the policy impact on sex offenders, the majority of respondents agree that as a consequence of Megan’s Law, sex offenders are afraid for their safety; however, they do not believe that residence restrictions hinder sex offenders’ employment opportunities. Findings from this study are discussed as they pertain to public policy and sex offender reintegration.
Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, H.R. 4472, 109th Cong. (2006).
2.
Adams, D.B. ( 2002). Summary of state sex offender registries, 2001. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics.
3.
Center for Missing and Exploited Children. ( 2008). Registered sex offenders in the United States. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from http://www.missingkids.com/en_US/documents/sex-offender-map.pdf
4.
Center for Sex Offender Management. (2001). Community notification and education. Retrieved March 11, 2007 , from http://www.csom.org/pubs/notedu.html
5.
Cohen, M., & Jeglic, E.L. ( 2007). Sex offender legislation in the United States: What do we know? International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 51, 369-383.
6.
Fortney, T., Levenson, J., Brannon, Y., & Baker, J.N. ( 2007). Myths and facts about sexual offenders: Implications for treatment and public policy. Sexual Offender Treatment , 2(1). Retrieved June 16, 2008, from http://web.ebscohost.com.ez.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=103&sid=76afdeac-b492-4767-accf-ef0a8dec0af8%40sessionmgr103
7.
Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act of 1994, Pub. L. No. 103-322, 108 Stat. 2038 (1994).
8.
Lieb, R., & Nunlist, C. ( 2008). Community notification as viewed by Washington’s citizens: A ten-year follow-up (Report no. 08-03-1101). Olympia, WA: Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
9.
Levenson, J.S. ( 2008). Collateral consequences of sex offender residence restrictions . Criminal Justice Studies, 21, 153-166.
10.
Levenson, J.S., & Cotter, L.P. ( 2005a). The effect of Megan’s Law on sex offender reintegration . Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice , 21, 49-66.
11.
Levenson, J.S., & Cotter, L.P. ( 2005b). The impact of sex offender residence restrictions: 1,000 feet from danger or one step from absurd?International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 49, 168-178.
12.
Levenson, J.S., Brannon, Y., Fortney, T., & Baker, J. ( 2007). Public perceptions about sex offenders and community protection policies. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 7, 1-25.
13.
Levenson, J.S., & D’Amora, D.A. (2007). Social policies designed to prevent sexual violence: The emperor’s new clothes? Criminal Justice Policy Review, 18(2), 168-199.
14.
Levenson, J.S., Zgoba, K., & Tewksbury, R. ( 2007, December). Sex offender residence restrictions: Sensible crime policy or flawed logic?Federal Probation, pp. 2-9.
15.
Martin, J., & O’Hagan, M. (2005, August 30). Killings of 2 Bellingham sex offenders may have been by vigilante, police say. Retrieved April 7, 2007, from http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002456680_sexoffender30m.html
16.
Matson, S., & Lieb, R. ( 1997). Megan’s Law: A review of state and federal legislation (Report no. 97-10-1101). Olympia, WA: Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
17.
Meloy, M.L., Miller, S.L., & Curtis, K.M. ( 2008, June 10). Making sense out of nonsense: The deconstruction of state-level sex offender residence restrictions (DOI 10.1007/s12103-008-9042-2) . American Journal of Criminal Justice. Retrieved July 2, 2008, from http://www.springerlink.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/content/041803n635rh3756/fulltext.pdf
18.
Mercado, C.C., Alvarez, S., & Levenson, J. ( 2008). The impact of specialized sex offender legislation on community re-entry. Sexual Abuse: Journal of Research & Treatment, 20, 188-205.
19.
Nieto, M., & Jung, D. ( 2006). The impact of residency restrictions on sex offenders and correctional management practices: A literature review (Report no. CRB-06-008) . Sacramento: California Research Bureau.
20.
Proctor, J.L., Badzinski, D.M., & Johnson, M. ( 2002). The impact of media on knowledge and perceptions of Megan’s Law. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 13, 356-379.
21.
Redlich, A. ( 2001). Community notification: Perceptions of its effectiveness in preventing child sexual abuse. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 10, 91-116.
22.
Sample, L.L., & Kadleck, C. ( 2008). Sex offender laws: Legislators’ accounts of the need for policy. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 19(1), 40-62.
23.
Tewksbury, R. ( 2005). Collateral consequences of sex offender registration . Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 21, 67-81.
24.
Tewksbury, R. ( 2007). Exile at home: The untended collateral consequences of sex offender residency restriction. Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, 42, 531-540.
25.
Tewksbury, R., & Lees, M. ( 2006). Perception of sex offender registration: Collateral consequences and community experiences. Sociological Spectrum , 26, 399-334.
26.
Tewksbury, R., & Lees, M. ( 2007). Perceptions of punishment: How registered sex offenders view registries. Crime and Delinquency, 53, 380-407.
27.
Todd, B. ( 2005, April 25). Fine line between control and harassment . Retrieved April 7, 2007, from http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/04/25/control.harassment/index.html
28.
West, D. ( 2000). Pedophilia: Plague or panic? The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry, 11, 511-531.
29.
Zevitz, R.G., & Farkas, M.A. ( 2000). Sex offender community notification: Managing high risk criminals or exacting further vengeance. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 18, 375-391.
