Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Sexual Offender Registries: Public Safety Or Scarlet Letter?, Marilyn Hiller

McNair Scholars Research Journal

Sexual offender legislation has been based on “moral panics” stemming from sensationalized cases (i.e. Wetterling, Kanka, and Klaas). The variety of sex offenders that are treated with blanket punishment is causing collateral consequences which actually create more risk to the public. By comparing the Idaho Sexual Offender Registry with the Idaho Department of Justice Database, this study determined what offenses were being committed after placement on the registry. My research identifies a collateral consequence of unsafe driving conditions. It found that there was a 113% increase of moving traffic related charges and 94% increase of non-moving violations such as driving …