A Qualitative Assessment of Registered Female Sex Offenders

Abstract

In this study, the effect that the sex offender registry has had on female sex offenders in two states is explored. In-depth personal interviews were conducted with nine registered female sex offenders from Illinois and Texas. Questions were asked about the arrest that led to registration and the effect that sex offender registration statutes have had on their lives. Braithwaite's crime, shame, and reintegration theory was relied on to assess the extent to which the processes described in his theory occurred in this sample. The focus of many of the questions included whether the women were able to reintegrate into their communities or if they were stigmatized. It was found that every respondent reported at least one negative effect on her life as a result of being identified on the public registry. Also, many of the stigmatization processes described by Braithwaite were applicable to the interviewed women.

An Incident-Based Comparison of Female and Male Sexual Offenders

“…However, the degree of confidence one can place in these findings is questionable because of pervasive limitations within the literature. For example, to date most studies have involved fewer than 50 FSOs (see Beech et al, 2009; Deering & Mellor, 2011; Faller, 1987; Gannon, Rose, & Williams, 2009; Gannon et al, 2013; Johansson-Love & Fremouw, 2009; Kaplan & Green, 1995; Miccio-Fonseca, 2000; West et al, 2011) and several have fewer than a dozen cases (see Peter, 2008; Travin, Cullen, & Protter, 1990; Vandiver, Dial, & Worley, 2008). Furthermore, most samples are drawn from clinical (e.g., Faller, 1987; Hickey, McCrory, Farmer, & Vizard, 2008; McCartan, Law, Murphy, & Bailey, 2011; Miccio-Fonseca, 2000; Muskens et al, 2011; Travin et al, 1990) or correctional settings (e.g., Ferguson & Meehan, 2005; Gannon et al, 2009; Gannon et al, 2013; Johansson-Love & Fremouw, 2009; Miller, Turner, & Henderson, 2009; Pfugradt & Allen, 2010; Turner, Miller, & Henderson, 2008; Vandiver & Kercher, 2004; Whelan, Farr, & Hammond, 2010).…”

The Effects of Failure to Register on Sex Offender Recidivism

“…Moreover, registration information was found to be inaccurate and/ or incomplete for a substantial proportion of RSOs in Kentucky and Florida (Levenson & Cotter, 2005;Tewksbury, 2002). Furthermore, in studies of male and female RSOs, many offenders indicated that, in addition to a loss of relationships, they had difficulty securing and maintaining housing and employment (Burchfield & Mingus, 2008;Calkins Mercado, Alvarez, & Levenson, 2008;Tewksbury, 2004Tewksbury, , 2005Vandiver, Dial, & Worley, 2008). And in a study examining the perceptions of registrants, Tewksbury and Lees (2007) found that although the RSOs they interviewed generally believed that registries could help maintain public safety, most questioned whether registries were efficient enough to lower recidivism.…”

Ghanaian Immigrants’ Experiences With and Perceptions of U.S. Police

“…Second, because of the small sample size, the findings of the current study may not be generalizable to the entire Ghanaian immigrant community or to other sub-Saharan African immigrant communities in the United States, even if most sub-Saharan African societies share a similar history of postcolonial police practices, including police corruption and brutality, and have similar cultural norms and practices. Third, the use of focus groups, which is a face-to-face study, means that social desirability, a situation in which a respondent attempts to embellish the truth, cannot be ruled out (see Maxfield & Babbie, 2006;Vandiver, Dial, & Worley, 2008). Fourth, the exploratory nature of this study allows for future research to test and confirm the current findings and to also test additional questions with larger sample sizes.…”