An Evaluation of Sex Offender Residency Restriction Functioning in Town,County,and City-Wide Jurisdictions

Abstract

Residency restrictions prohibit sex offenders from living within close proximity to schools and other areas where children congregate. Though widely implemented, little empirical research has yet examined where sex offenders reside in relation to schools. Using mapping software, this study examines the differential impact of residency restrictions on housing availability in town, county, and city-wide jurisdictions, and further examines distances of sex offender and comparison community member residencies in proximity to schools. Though findings reveal that residency restrictions mostly impact housing availability in urban areas, residency shortages would likely occur in rural and suburban areas as well. Moreover, although sex offenders residing in city areas tend to live closer to schools than randomly selected community members, offenders with child victims in the same area live further from schools than offenders with no child victims. Policy implications, including concerns over housing shortages, and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Keywords

residency restrictions sex offender legislation policy mapping

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