PUBLIC OPINION LEGISLATURE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY

Public Opinion Legislature Sex Offender Registry



Public Opinion Legislature Sex Offender Registry

Public Perceptions About Sex Offender Policies

Recent developments have included the mandate of state Internet websites list-ing convicted sex offenders (“Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today Act,” 2003), and the establishment of a national online sex offender registry that allows a search beyond one's own state border. Early community notification strategies commonly included press releases, flyers, and door-to-door warnings about the presence of sex offenders (Levenson & Cotter, 2005; Matson & Lieb, 1996a; Zevitz, Crim, & Farkas, 2000a). Since states are now federally mandated to post their sex offender registries online, however, the Internet appears to have become the primary source of information about convicted sex offenders (Levenson, D'Amora, & Hern, 2006; Vermont Legislative Council, 2005). The goals of sex offender registration and notification are to increase the public's awareness of sex offenders and to help people protect themselves and their children from sex crimes (Phillips, 1998; Proctor, Badzinski, & Johnson, 2002; Quinn et al., 2004; Sample & Kadleck, 2006; Wright, 2003).

Public opinion survey in Washington indicated that 80% of 400 residents surveyed in 1997 were familiar with community notification policies, commonly known as Megan's Law, and that 80% of that group believed that the law was very important (Phillips, 1998). The majority reported that they felt safer knowing where convicted sex offenders lived, and speculated that community notifica-tion might help offenders better manage their behavior because neighbors were watching them. About half of the respondents acknowledged the potential for vig-ilantism and 75% agreed that notification might make it more difficult for sex offenders to reintegrate into communities with regard to housing, jobs, and social support. Females were significantly more likely than males to be frightened or angry about a sex offender moving into the neighborhood. Age was also a sig-nificant factor in the level of fear reported, with 30- to 40-year olds expressing more concerns than those over 50 or under 30 (perhaps because those in their thirties are more likely to have young children). Interestingly, however, more than half of the parents reported no change in their own behaviors with regard to supervision of their children as a result of community notification (Burstein, 2003)

Poll in England in May 2005 surveyed a random sample of 558 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 (News of the world, 2005). Respondents were overwhelmingly (86%) in favor of the public having access to information about registered sex offenders. More than half (57%) believed that the public has a right to know about all convicted child molesters living in the local area, while 29% believed the public should be told only about those judged to pose a risk to children. Only 16% of those surveyed believed that convicted child molesters could live safely in a community without posing a threat to youngsters. Despite their support for community notification, only 11% indicated a belief that children are safer now than they were ...