Beyond just sex offender laws: A case study of laws affecting sex offenders beyond registration, notification, residency restrictions, and civil commitment

• In Event: Convict Criminology Session 4: Advances in Sex Offender Policy Research: Collateral Impacts and Experiences

Abstract

In order to isolate the effects of sex offender laws on offenders' behaviors, we need knowledge of all laws that may influence sex offenders' actions beyond those deemed specifically as "sex offender legislation". This paper uses a multi-case study approach to explore and compare all laws that mention sex offenders, including mandatory reporting laws, child custody laws, employment regulations, and miscellaneous other non-criminal statutes in order to identify policies that attempt to restrict or regulate sex offenders' behaviors. The results can be used methodologically to control for the influence of these other laws when evaluating the effects of registration and notification laws.

Authors

• Eric Meyer, University of Nebraska at Omaha

• Robert Lytle, University of Nebraska at Omaha