Sex offender residence restriction laws: Parental perceptions and public policy

Mancini, Christina; Shields, Ryan T.; Mears, Daniel P.; Beaver, Kevin M.

doi:10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2010.07.004

Cited by 65 publications

(75 citation statements)

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“…In the process, these studies have helped condition the criminal justice's responses to sex crimes through strategies assumed to increase community protection (such as civil commitment, public notification, house residency restrictions, and electronic monitoring). Often relying on actuarial tools that identify the medium-and high-risk sex offenders (e.g., Lieb, Kemshall, & Thomas, 2011;Lussier, Deslauriers-Varin, & Ratel, 2010;Lussier & Healey, 2009), these post-release strategies bring significant costs, impact the workload for probation/parole officers, and yet, their ability to reduce the risk of sexual recidivism remains unclear (e.g., Armstrong & Freeman, 2011;Mancini, Shields, Mears, & Beaver, 2010;Payne & DeMichele, 2010). By targeting offenders who are more likely to be rearrested or reconvicted as suggested by empirical studies, research may have systematically overlooked an important subgroup of sex offenders that do not fit the usual patterns.…”

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confidence: 99%

Patterns of criminal achievement in sexual offending: Unravelling the “successful” sex offender

Lussier

Bouchard

Beauregard

2011

Journal of Criminal Justice

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Purpose: The current study examines significant variations in criminal achievement across sex offenders. To examine the "successful" sex offender, the study proposes a concept of achievement in sexual offending defined as the ability to maximize the payoffs of a crime opportunity while minimizing the costs. Methods: The study is based on a sample of convicted adult male sex offenders using retrospective longitudinal data. Results: The study findings show a wide variation in criminal achievement, a variation that is not correlated with the severity of sentences meted out or the actuarial risk scores obtained by these offenders. Those offenders who specialize in sex crimes were shown to be the most productive and least detected offenders. Two types of successful offenders emerge, the first relying on his conventional background in targeting a victim that can be repeatedly abused for a long period without detection. The second is a younger offender that is successful in the sense of being able to complete aggressions on multiple victims. Conclusions: Results suggest that the successful sex offender is not "detected" once he enters the criminal justice system, nor is he handled in a way that may deter him from sexually reoffending in the future.REFERENCE: Lussier, P., Bouchard, M. & Beauregard, E. (2011). Patterns of criminal achievement in sexual offending: Unravelling the "successful" sex offender. Journal of Criminal Justice, 39,[433][434][435][436][437][438][439][440][441][442][443][444] Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to P. Lussier, Pavillon Charles-De Koninck, 1030, ave. des Sciences-Humaines, Quebec, Quebec G1V 0A6, Canada. Tel.: +1 418 656 2131x5978. E-mail address: patrick.lussier@svs.ulaval.ca. PATTERNS OF CRIMINAL ACHIEVEMENT IN SEXUAL OFFENDING 2Patterns of criminal achievement in sexual offending: Unravelling the "successful" sex offender After more than 50 years of research on sexual recidivism, researchers have been unable to provide a formal evidence-based explanation of the criminal activity of sexual offenders. The risk factor approach taken and pursued over the years have restrained possibilities of understanding the criminal career dynamics of individuals committing sex offences and recent empirical studies have emphasized the need to correct this (e.g., Amirault & Lussier, 2011; Lussier & Davies, in press;Lussier, Tzoumakis, Cale, & Amirault, 2010). In that regard, this study is a departure from past research on this issue. The aim is not to identify a predictive model of sexual recidivism but rather to understand what is being predicted and who is being identified in the process. Sexual recidivism or in more technical terms, sexual rearrest and sexual reconviction, have become the gold standard measures to determine risk. While researchers have acknowledged that "official recidivism" carries an important limitation (i.e., it measures official reoffending or the likelihood or being caught, again), it has served to establish the risk of recidivism, the prevalen...

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confidence: 99%

Patterns of criminal achievement in sexual offending: Unravelling the “successful” sex offender

Lussier

Bouchard

Beauregard

2011

Journal of Criminal Justice

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“…Females show higher levels of support for residence restrictions (Mancini et al, 2010) and more likely to support community notification (Brown, Deakin, & Spencer, 2008;Caputo & Brodsky, 2004;Kernsmith, Craun, & Foster, 2009b) perhaps due to the higher level of fear towards sex offenders (Beck & Travis, 2004). In general, gender is not viewed as an influential characteristic among professionals (Malesky & Keim, 2001;Tewksbury & Mustaine, 2012, however, Levenson et al (2010) reports that female sexual abuse professionals are more likely to have higher levels of both anger and fear about sex offenders residing in their community.…”

Section: Factors Influencing Perceptions Of Current Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, Tewksbury and Mustaine (2012) report that parental status played a significant role in the perceptions of parole board members when examining the effectiveness of community notification in reducing sexual victimization, however, other studies of professionals have not found parental status to be influential in shaping perceptions Malesky & Keim, 2001;Mustaine et al, 2015;. Parental status appears to have a greater influence on the attitudes of the public, as several studies show being a parent is associated with greater support for sex offender management policies (Caputo & Brodsky, 2004;Comartin et al, 2009;Mancini, Shields, Mears, & Beaver, 2010).…”

Section: Factors Influencing Perceptions Of Current Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Support for Current Sex Offender Management Policies: A National Survey of the Perceptions of Professionals

Call

Gordon

2016

Am J Crim Just

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Utilizing a sample gathered from two professional organizations, this study compared the perceptions held by criminal justice professionals and clinical specialists toward current sex offender management policies. In addition to controlling for demographic variables, consideration was given to the roles of belief in the cause of sex offending and punishment philosophy, both largely absent from the literature on sex offender policy perceptions, as influencing factors of policy support. Results indicate low levels of support for current policies across professional groups, however, criminal justice professionals are significantly more likely to support current policies than clinical specialists. Furthermore, belief that sex offending is caused by a lack of virtue, holding a traditional punishment philosophy, and being a parent were associated with increased support for current policies. The implications of these findings for the management of sex offenders are discussed.

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“…The American criminal justice system reflects the general public's desire to have a justice system that appropriately balances punishment and rehabilitation (cf., Mancini, Shields, Mears, & Beaver, 2010;Piquero & Steinberg, 2010;Ren, Zhao, & Lovrich, 2008). Moreover, the criminal justice system is composed of policies that embody both conservative and liberal ideological positions, and it is this delicate balance of crime control, due process, and social support that contributes to its professionalism and effectiveness.…”

Section: Contents Lists Available At Sciencedirectmentioning

confidence: 99%

The criminal justice system works!

DeLisi

2010

Journal of Criminal Justice

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Sex offender residence restriction laws: Parental perceptions and public policy

Cited by 65 publications

References 50 publications

Patterns of criminal achievement in sexual offending: Unravelling the “successful” sex offender

Patterns of criminal achievement in sexual offending: Unravelling the “successful” sex offender

Support for Current Sex Offender Management Policies: A National Survey of the Perceptions of Professionals

The criminal justice system works!

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