Sex Offender Residency Restrictions: Successful Integration or Exclusion?

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

There are few criminal offenders who garner more fear and loathing than sex offenders. As a result, policy intended to manage this population is riddled with emotion and politics as law makers quickly develop law after law often to the point of ignoring relevant empirical evidence or consideration of any collateral consequences. While sex offender policy is not new, in the most recent 20 years, sex offenders have seen their lives become significantly more transparent and controlled. One such type of legislation that has become nearly universal are residency restrictions. The present study examines the efficacy and consequences of these types of policies from both micro and macro views.

Author

• Elizabeth Ehrhardt Mustaine, University of Central Florida