Too Close for Comfort? Registered Sex Offender Spatial Clustering and Recidivistic Sex Crime Arrest Rates

Abstract

This study examined whether three measures of the spatial distribution of registered sex offenders (RSOs) in September 2010 were associated with differences in county-level rates of recidivistic sex crime arrests over the following year in 52 upstate New York counties. Results indicate that RSO clustering was positively associated with modest increases of recidivistic sex crime arrest rates, but results were significant only for adult victim sex crimes and only for certain types of RSO clustering. Under no circumstances, however, was increased RSO clustering associated with decreased rates of recidivistic sex crime arrests. The results of this study, combined with the limited prior research, suggest that RSO clustering has only a limited association with recidivistic sex crime arrest rates. This implies that housing policies such as residence restrictions may be useful in mitigating risk from some types of recidivistic sex crimes only to the extent that they result in more equitable distributions of RSOs within a county.

Hidden challenges: Sex offenders legislated into homelessness

“…Moreover, transient sex offenders are more likely to abscond from registration, suggesting that housing restrictions may undermine the very purpose of registries (Levenson, Ackerman, & Harris, 2013). SORR laws can also cause sex offenders to cluster in the few locations where compliant housing is available, resulting in a disproportionate number of sex offenders in a small geographical area and leading to heightened concerns for the welfare of children living in such neighborhoods (Broward County Commission, 2009;FATSA, 2015;Socia, 2013).…”

What Predicts Where Sex Offenders Live? An Examination of Census Tract Data in Minnesota

“…Using data from the U.S. Census, this research formulated multiple independent measures of economic disadvantage and social disorganization, as well as other measures that have been previously linked to sex offender housing patterns (e.g., Hipp et al, 2010; Socia, 2013a, 2013b, 2014) and community-level crime (e.g., Morenoff et al, 2001; Sampson & Groves, 1989; Sampson et al, 1997).…”

“…Existing research shows that sex offender concentration does not lead to increased victimization of children, although it has been found to be associated with higher rates of sexual offending against adult victims (Socia, 2013b; Tewksbury, Mustaine, & Covington, 2010). Despite evidence that residency restrictions for high-risk sex offenders do little to prevent new sex offenses and may ultimately cause more harm than good (Durling, 2006; Duwe, Donnay, & Tewksbury, 2008; Levenson, 2008; Tewksbury, 2007; Walker, 2007; Zandbergen & Hart, 2006), an increasing number of communities are imposing such restrictions and developing innovative ways to limit sex offender residency (Lovett, 2012, 2013).…”

“…By examining factors that predict where sex offenders live in Minnesota, this study makes three main contributions to the literature. First, previous studies have analyzed concentration for a city, county, or part of a state (Socia, 2013a, 2013b, 2014). We extend research in this area by examining concentration throughout the state of Minnesota.…”

“…Recent scholarship has examined the residential patterns of registered sexual offenders in limited geographic areas (Socia, 2013a, 2013b, 2014), as well as large geographic areas that have several residency restrictions (Hipp, Turner, & Jannetta, 2010; Socia et al, 2014). The present study examines the distribution of multiple categories of sexual offenders throughout the state of Minnesota, a large geographic area with very few residency restrictions for sex offenders.…”