‘Nobody worries about our children’: unseen impacts of sex offender registration on families with school-age children and implications for desistance

Kilmer, Ashley; Leon, Chrysanthi S.

doi:10.1080/1478601x.2017.1299852

Cited by 19 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…The social stigma of registration extends to the RSO’s children, household members, and romantic partners, and loving an RSO brings many psychosocial and practical challenges. They experience disruptions in family life, housing insecurity, psychological distress, employment difficulties, financial hardships, harassment, invasion of privacy, shame, and fear for their own safety (Bailey & Klein, 2018; Farkas & Miller, 2007; Kilmer & Leon, 2017; Lytle et al, 2017; Tewksbury & Levenson, 2009). Children of registrants encounter ridicule, teasing, and ostracization, which can lead to depression, anxiety, fear, anger, and even suicidality in some youngsters (Kilmer & Leon, 2017; Levenson & Tewksbury, 2009).…”

Section: Family Members and Loved Ones Of Registered Sex Offendersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They experience disruptions in family life, housing insecurity, psychological distress, employment difficulties, financial hardships, harassment, invasion of privacy, shame, and fear for their own safety (Bailey & Klein, 2018; Farkas & Miller, 2007; Kilmer & Leon, 2017; Lytle et al, 2017; Tewksbury & Levenson, 2009). Children of registrants encounter ridicule, teasing, and ostracization, which can lead to depression, anxiety, fear, anger, and even suicidality in some youngsters (Kilmer & Leon, 2017; Levenson & Tewksbury, 2009). Mental health consequences described by parents of youth who sexually offended included stress, mood difficulties, hopelessness, and avoidance (Romano & Gervais, 2018).…”

Section: Family Members and Loved Ones Of Registered Sex Offendersmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Supporting Those Who Love the Loathed: Trauma-Informed Support Groups for Family Members of Registered Sex Offenders

Kavanagh

Levenson

2021

Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Service

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Social workers are typically empathic, but it can be challenging to offer compassionate care to those who harmed others and, by extension, to the people who love them. This article describes a trauma-informed support group intervention for family members of individuals required to register as sex offenders (RSOs). We begin with a brief overview of this unique population, review the empirical research exploring family members’ needs and the services available to them, and introduce the trauma-informed framework for our support group. We will then describe the group’s development and dynamics. Finally, we will highlight trauma-informed practice skills and tools for facilitating effective and empowering support services with this hidden and stigmatized population.

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Section: Family Members and Loved Ones Of Registered Sex Offendersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Family Members and Loved Ones Of Registered Sex Offendersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supporting Those Who Love the Loathed: Trauma-Informed Support Groups for Family Members of Registered Sex Offenders

Kavanagh

Levenson

2021

Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Service

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“…They endure reduced employability, complicated by restrictions on computer use and internet access (Rydberg, 2018;Tewksbury & Zgoba, 2010). The social stigma of registration extends to the RSO's children, household members, and romantic partners, who suffer disruptions in family life, housing and financial insecurity, shame, and fear (Kilmer & Leon, 2017;Lytleet al, 2017). The severity and duration of collateral sanctions are perceived as insurmountable to RSOs and their families; indeed, in many states they persist for life with no opportunities for redemption (Bailey, 2018;Sample et al, 2018).…”

Section: Theoretical Model: the Cjs Is Traumagenicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life on “the List” is a Life Lived in Fear: Post-Conviction Traumatic Stress in Men Convicted of Sexual Offenses

Harris

Levenson

2020

Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol

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In recent years, there has been a rapid expansion of increasingly restrictive laws managing the post release behavior and movement of individuals convicted of sexual offenses. In the US, this legislation has led to many barriers for people returning to their community as “registered sex offenders.” We consider the often ignored but undeniable traumagenic impact of life on “the list” and conceptualize this experience as Post-Conviction Traumatic Stress. We present a qualitative content analysis of secondary data collected from interviews with over 70 men. Emergent themes were first organized according to the human needs identified in Maslow’s hierarchy, and then by the established symptoms of PTSD, and finally in terms of resilient coping versus traumatic coping when basic human needs were unmet. We discuss the unexplored impact of traumatic instability on risk for recidivism and present recommendations for trauma-informed policies and practices with individuals required to register as “sex offenders.”

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“…Opponents can draw on and reframe supporters' arguments by showing that they too are concerned about recidivism and want to protect vulnerable populations but that the evidence suggests no link between these policies and supporters' very real expressive concerns. Further, they may also bring in evidence that laws designed to protect children may in fact harm children and their families given the way these laws contribute to the social isolation and rejection experienced by sex offenders' families (Kilmer and Leon 2017). Regardless of the content of their arguments, it is critical for opponents of these laws to garner legislators' support for and investment in evidence-based policy.…”

Section: Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Politics of Symbolic Laws: State Resistance to the Allure of Sex Offender Residence Restrictions

2020

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Sex offender residence restrictions are largely symbolic laws that address constituent demands to do something about sex crimes without actually reducing sex offenses. While the majority of US states have implemented such restrictions, this exploratory study examines three states that have resisted the allure of these symbolic laws. Using data from state government archives, we analyze expressive and instrumental rationales for rejecting residence restrictions to explore what facilitates the failure of a symbolic law. We find that while supporters and opponents both made largely instrumental arguments, opponents framed their instrumental arguments in expressive terms. Legislators’ policy positions, reliance on empirical evidence, and testimony from bureaucrats also contributed to the failure of residence restrictions in these states. Our findings help explain why empirically ineffective sex offender laws appeal to the public and politicians, how these laws might be scaled back, and how symbolic laws may lose their power in some contexts.

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‘Nobody worries about our children’: unseen impacts of sex offender registration on families with school-age children and implications for desistance

Cited by 19 publications

References 44 publications

Supporting Those Who Love the Loathed: Trauma-Informed Support Groups for Family Members of Registered Sex Offenders

Supporting Those Who Love the Loathed: Trauma-Informed Support Groups for Family Members of Registered Sex Offenders

Life on “the List” is a Life Lived in Fear: Post-Conviction Traumatic Stress in Men Convicted of Sexual Offenses

The Politics of Symbolic Laws: State Resistance to the Allure of Sex Offender Residence Restrictions

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