Understanding Law Enforcement Perspectives on Sex Offender Registration and Notification

• In Event: Advances in Sex Offender Policy Research: Policy Implementation and Impacts

Abstract

Since the 1990s, sex offender registration and notification (SORN) has emerged as a ubiquitous element of United States sex offender management policy and practice.
Although SORN policies have attracted considerable research attention, remarkably little is known about how the systems are used, perceived, and experienced by law enforcement professionals in the context of their work. This knowledge gap is particularly notable considering law enforcement’s “front line” role in registry management, monitoring, compliance checks, victim outreach, and community notification. This presentation will discuss results of a U.S. Department of Justice funded study comprising the first comprehensive assessment of law enforcement uses of and perspectives on sex offender registration and notification. Drawing upon interviews with over 100 law enforcement line and command staff across two-dozen county, local and tribal jurisdictions, the session will explore law enforcement perspectives regarding SORN systems’ reliability; SORN’s effectiveness as a crime prevention tool; and SORN’s utility for purposes of criminal investigation, incident response, and managerial decision-making. The analysis also evaluates the association between these perceptions and specific legal, procedural, operational, and structural characteristics of state-level SORN systems. Implications for policy, practice, and advocacy for the reform of sex offender registration and notification laws will be discussed.

Authors

• Andrew Harris, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

• Helen Ricci, University of Massachusetts, Lowell