NCJ Number
232475
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 38 Issue: 5 Dated: September/October 2010 Pages: 1022-1030
Date Published
September 2010
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study examined sex offender residence restriction laws.
Abstract
Despite a steady decline in sex crime over the past 20 years, new laws, such as residence restrictions, targeting such crime have proliferated. Some scholars have argued that public concern about sexual offending against young children has served as a catalyst for the emergence of these laws. Few studies, however, have empirically tested this claim. To address this gap and to contribute to scholarship on public opinion about crime and justice, this research tests a central implication flowing from prior worknamely, the notion that people with children will be more likely to endorse increased restrictions on where sex offenders can live. Analyses of public opinion data from a 2006 poll of Florida residents suggest that parents are indeed significantly more likely to support such restrictions. Implications of the study for research and policy are discussed. Tables, notes, and references (Published Abstract)