NCJ Number
226362
Journal
Criminal Justice Policy Review Volume: 20 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2009 Pages: 3-12
Date Published
March 2009
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This introductory article provides background information and summaries of featured articles in this special issue on ways that geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial analysis can be used to examine the potential impact of sex offender residency restriction laws, which attempt to restrict registered sex offenders from residing in specified zones that would give them easy access to locations where children congregate.
Abstract
Background information notes that legislative bodies have crafted ordinances that create expansive geographies of exclusion regarding where convicted sex offenders can live in a community. There is limited space that is not restricted when taking into account all the areas where children are involved in activities, such as schools, day-care centers, parks, etc., such that when the restricted zones are merged, sex offenders are prohibited from living in substantial areas within a jurisdictions. The first featured article explores issues related to the accuracy of geocoding, which can have potential legal implications for those considering drafting and implementing residency restriction laws. The second article examines the potential effect of residency restriction laws in urban, suburban, and rural communities in New Jersey. It also addresses the potential challenges that may result when restricted zones cross over into other jurisdictions where the residency restriction law is not in effect. The third article examines the potential differential impact of 1,000-foot compared with 2,500-foot buffer zones in a metropolitan county in New Jersey. The concluding article examines the potential impact of legislation being considered by South Carolina, where two versions of sex offender residency restrictions are under consideration, one that places a 1,000-foot boundary and another that places a 1-mile boundary around areas where children congregate. The articles show how GIS are well suited for analysis of policy that is so explicitly spatial in nature. 37 references