Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Residence Restriction Legislation, Sex Crime Rates, And The Spatial Distribution Of Sex Offender Residences, Kelly M. Socia

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Residence restrictions are one of the most recent, and most controversial, public policies seeking to protect community members from registered sex offenders (RSOs) reentering society following incarceration. Residence restriction policies prohibit RSOs from living within a given distance of certain places where children might gather (e.g., schools, daycares, parks, and playgrounds). In doing so, the expectation is that RSOs will have a harder time finding and approaching young children whom they can sexually assault, thus driving sexual recidivism rates down. These policies, first passed in 1995 at the state level and in 2005 at the county and local level, have …