Eliminate Residency Restrictions for Sex Offenders

Jeffery T. Walker – University of Arkansas, Little Rock

Sometimes legislation is passed based on the support of research or the results of successful programming. More often, however, legislation is passed based on the demands of a constituency group or public outcry. Perhaps the clearest instances of legislation being passed in response to public outcry are laws involving sex offenders. The initial passage of many sex offender laws was in response to high-profile sexual attacks on children. To calm and reassure the public and to mourn the lost children, many of these laws were passed quickly without fully understanding the consequences (Fein, 1995; Freeman-Longo, 1996). Research has determined that many provisions of these laws do little to control reoffending and that many create unintended consequences that may do more harm than good. This article addresses a particular type of sex offender law: residency restrictions. It examines the research that shows problems with residency restrictions. It discusses efforts to repeal sex offender residency restrictions and the rationale behind doing so. It ends with a call to modify residency restriction laws and to create more effective ways of controlling sexual reoffending.

Read the entire study on http://ilvoices.org/