Sex Offenders: Financial Obligations and Perceptions of Legitimacy

• In Event: Advances in Sex Offender Policy Research: Re-Entry and Reintegration II

Abstract

Felony convictions create a variety of challenges for offenders, and a sex offense conviction can magnify the collateral consequences of incarceration. In particular, as budget concerns grow for many criminal justice agencies, offenders take on a variety of fiscal responsibilities relevant to their supervision. In some cases this consists of only a flat supervision fee, but may also include program, electronic monitoring, and polygraph costs. Sex offenders are often subject to a broader range of legal and programmatic intervention; therefore, the legal financial obligations are often higher for this group than non-sex offenders. This paper examines the costs of supervision among a sample of sex offenders, and results of qualitative narratives describe the consequences of financial responsibilities. Specifically, the increased legal debts coupled with additional conditions of supervision decrease perceptions of legitimacy within the criminal justice system. The negative perceptions have important implications for future behaviors, and policy implications are discussed.

Authors

• Breanne Pleggenkuhle, Southern Illinois University

• Beth Huebner, University of Missouri - St. Louis

• Jason Rydberg, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

• Eric Grommon, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis

• Kimberly Kras, University of Missouri - St. Louis