Attitudes Towards Megan's Law and Juvenile Sex Offenders

• NCJ Number: 238888
• Journal: Justice Policy Journal Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 2010
• Author(s): Debra Lee Cochrane; M. Alexis Kennedy
• Date Published: 2010
• Length: 35 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the public's attitude towards the requirement that Megan's Law and other sex offender registration laws should be applied to juvenile sex offenders.

Abstract

Major findings from this study on the use of Megan's Law and other sex offender registration laws for juvenile sex offenders include the following: 77 percent of study participants believed that Megan's law should apply to juveniles; 55.4 percent also believed that requiring juveniles to register as sex offenders could cause harm to their social development; 48.4 percent believed that requiring juveniles to register as sex offenders under Megan's Law did not violate the protective standards set forth by the juvenile court system; almost one-third of participants (33.4 percent) believed that juveniles should be required to register as sex offenders for their entire life, even on first offenses; and almost 40 percent of participants believed that juvenile sex offenders should be treated the same as adult sex offenders. This study examined the public's attitude towards the requirement that juvenile sex offenders be required to register as sex offenders under Megan's law and other sex offender registration laws. Data for the study were obtained from a sample of undergraduate students (n=531) enrolled in an introductory criminal justice class who completed a questionnaire that assessed attitudes towards Megan's Law and juvenile sex offenders. Participants were also asked questions about their knowledge of current State laws regarding the use of Megan's law as well as their reactions to four scenarios involving the court's treatment of juvenile sex offenders. The purpose of the study was to determine whether the public felt the need to apply Megan's law to juvenile sex offenders, and whether the use of these laws impaired and interfered with the social development of juveniles. The findings indicate that the use of these laws for juvenile sex offenders harms their social development and prevents their successful reintegration back into society. Tables, figures, and references