A longitudinal examination of sex offender recidivism prior to and following the implementation of SORN

Abstract

The goals of the present study were to examine the recidivism rates of two matched samples of sexual offenders, those released prior to and after sex offender registration and notification (SORN) in New Jersey. The pre-SORN group (1990-1994) included 247 offenders, while the post-SORN group (1996-2000) included 248 offenders. The longitudinal analysis demonstrated that for sex offenders released from prison both prior to and after implementation of SORN, there are clearly two distinguishable groups of sex offenders in relation to patterns of recidivism. More than three-quarters of sex offenders were identified as at low risk of recidivism, with low rates of repeat criminal offenses. By contrast, the high-risk group of offenders was not only more likely to commit future criminal offenses, including sex offenses, but they were also more likely to commit significantly more offenses and to do so fairly quickly following release. Analyses also include an examination of the influence of demographics, substance abuse and mental health issues, treatment history, sex offense incident characteristics, and criminal history on recidivism. Finally, SORN status was not a significant predictor of sex or general recidivism. The study limitations and policy implications are discussed.

On the number and shape of developmental/life-course violence, aggression, and delinquency trajectories: A state-of-the-art review

“…Other studies, which followed participants from youth through adulthood (Andersson et al, 2012;Bersani et al, 2009;D'Unger et al, 1998D'Unger et al, , 2002Eggleston et al, 2004;Huesmann et al, 2009;Jones et al, 2001;Kreuter & Muthén, 2008;Laub et al, 1998;Nagin et al, 1995;Piquero, Farrington, et al, 2010;Sampson & Laub, 2003) had at least one, and in many cases more than one, group of life-course persistent offenders. Teacher-rated disruptive behaviors SAS 820 girls from Quebec followed for 10 years (1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990)(1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995)(1996) 4 Low (57.4%) Medium (31.6%) Medium-High (9.6%) High (1.4%) Coté et al, 2002aCoté et al, , 2002b Teacher-rated impulsivity SAS 1,865 boys and girls in Quebec followed from kindergarten through grade six Freiburger et al, 2012;Tewksbury & Jennings, 2010;Tewksbury et al, 2012; Homicide perpetrators only: Vaughn et al, 2009;Burglars only: Vaughn et al, 2008;Drug users only: Vaughn et al, 2012;African Americans only: Higgins, Bush, et al, 2010;Higgins et al, 2012;Hispanics only: Maldonado-Molina et al, 2009;Maldonado-Molina, Reingle, et al, 2010;Reingle et al, 2011;Parochial school students: Lynne-Landsman et al, 2011);and geographical location (Andersson et al, 2012;Bersani et al, 2009;…”

Stopping rape

“…In a study in Iowa, Tewksbury and Jennings (2010) examined the three distinct post-release trajectories of reconviction for a pre-SORN and a post-SORN group, and found them to be of similar shape with similar proportions of offenders; there was no statistical evidence of any effect of the SORN legislation. Similarly, a study in New Jersey (Tewksbury et al, 2012) found no differences in either the shape or proportions of offenders in the two trajectory groups.…”

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

“…Since inception, the effectiveness of SORN and residence restrictions have been the subject of extensive debate and criticism. Empirical findings reveal sex offender management policies have little to no effect on sex offender recidivism (Letourneau, Levenson, Bandyopadhyay, Sinha, & Armstrong, 2010;Tewksbury, Jennings, & Zgoba, 2012). Additionally, several scholars reveal several unintended consequences stemming from these policies, chief among them being loss of housing, difficulty finding employment, social isolation, emotional suffering, and harassment by other community members (Levenson & Cotter, 2005a, 2005bLevenson & Hern, 2007;Tewksbury, 2005;Tewksbury & Mustaine, 2009).…”