A Spatial Analysis of Registered Sex Offenders and Social Disorganization in Philadelphia

• In Event: Sexual Offending, Crime Patterns, Mobility and Opportunity

Abstract

Prior research has suggested that the clustering of Registered Sex Offenders (RSOs) in disadvantaged areas is due, in part, to residential restriction laws. These laws often force RSOs into neighborhoods with high levels of social disorganization, potentially disrupting both the reintegration of this population and the community they move in to. Research has consistently found that the neighborhoods RSOs tend to move in to have high levels of social disorganized. This research studies Philadelphia, Pennsylvania an area without residential restriction laws to examine if RSO clustering is still occurs. RSO data was collected from the Pennsylvania sex offender registry database, and community data was pulled from the 2015 American Community Survey. Maps were created to visualize the residential patterns of RSOs in order to answer the question: does a county with no residential restriction laws for registered sex offenders still see clustering within areas of high social disorganization? Preliminary findings suggest clustering of RSOs in low income neighborhoods still occurs within the county. Results suggest that even without residential restriction laws RSOs are being forced to cluster in neighborhoods with social disorganization.

Authors

• Amber Kamran Amin, Arcadia University

• Anne Mahar, Arcadia University