Legislation Targeting Sex Offenders: Are Recent Policies Effective in Reducing Rape?

Alissa R. Ackerman, Meghan Sacks, David F. Greenberg

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    In recent years, several pieces of state and federal legislation have imposed new restrictions on convicted sex offenders, including registration with law enforcement agencies, community notification provisions, and sexually violent predator designations permitting civil commitment following a prison sentence. This paper uses panel data for the American states for the years 1970-2002 to assess the impact of these policies on the rate at which rapes occur. Our research finds no evidence that our current policies reduce the incidence of rape.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)858-887
    Number of pages30
    JournalJustice Quarterly
    Volume29
    Issue number6
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Dec 2012

    Keywords

    • community notification
    • imprisonment
    • rape
    • registration
    • sexually violent predator

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Pathology and Forensic Medicine
    • Law

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Legislation Targeting Sex Offenders: Are Recent Policies Effective in Reducing Rape?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this