Perceptions of and support for sex offender policies: Testing Levenson, Brannon, Fortney, and Baker’s findings

Koon-Magnin, Sarah

doi:10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2014.12.007

Cited by 36 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…However, it was also noted that respondents believed the laws have little effectiveness. These findings, when considered with the above discussion, would be representative of crime-control theater (Koon-Magnin, 2015; Socia & Harris, 2016). As noted, crime-control theater, in this context, refers to the notion that laws for individuals convicted of sexual offenses are symbolic representations of public perceptions of these offenses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

“…As noted, crime-control theater, in this context, refers to the notion that laws for individuals convicted of sexual offenses are symbolic representations of public perceptions of these offenses. More specifically, these laws are representations of a societal intolerance toward sexually related offenses (Armstrong et al, 2015; Koon-Magnin, 2015; Socia & Harris, 2016), especially when committed against a child (Kernsmith et al, 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These laws, in essence, put forth a public stance of intolerance toward sex offenses. Crime control theater, therefore, describes policies that satisfy a public outcry without actually being effective or even necessary (Griffin & Miller, 2008; Koon-Magnin, 2015; Socia & Harris, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sexual Offense Legislation Across the Pond: A Review of Community Sentiment Toward the United Kingdom’s Implementation of Sarah’s Law

Zgoba

Cowan

2019

Sex Abuse

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Within both the United States and the United Kingdom, laws have been implemented that govern the behavior of individuals convicted of certain sexually based offenses. Thus, research has naturally gravitated toward examining the public perceptions of these laws. Although both the United States and United Kingdom have laws regarding convicted sex offenders, and although these laws vary, research into the perceptions of these laws has largely been concentrated within the United States. The current study seeks to fill this gap through a survey of U.K. residents that assesses their perceptions of the implementation of Sarah’s Law. Respondents were gathered through convenience sampling methods in both Bristol and London, England ( n = 140). Overall, respondents were fairly supportive of Sarah’s Law and its current implementation. However, as opposed to respondents in the United States, U.K. respondents were also open to the idea of providing a degree of privacy to convicted sex offenders and were more tolerant of sexual offenders living near them. Finally, age, race, and parental status of the respondents were found to be statistically significant predictors among four identified dependent variables testing support of the law. Implications from these results are discussed, and a direction for future comparative research is highlighted.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sexual Offense Legislation Across the Pond: A Review of Community Sentiment Toward the United Kingdom’s Implementation of Sarah’s Law

Zgoba

Cowan

2019

Sex Abuse

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“…As highlighted in previous sections of this review, media outlets both inform and enhance public attitudes, leading to a self-fulfilling cycle of hostility and negativity. This cycle is related to several issues, including legislative discussions (Harper & Hogue, 2014), support for punitive and restrictive policy positions (Koon-Magnin, 2015;Levenson et al, 2007), and the stigmatization of sexual offenders (Jahnke et al, 2015;Willis et al, 2010).…”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitudes towards sexual offenders: What do we know, and why are they important?

Harper

Hogue

Bartels

2017

Aggression and Violent Behavior

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Over the past two decades, a large body of research on attitudes towards sexual offenders has been conducted across a number of different contexts. However, there has been less discussion of their implications. Clinically, attitudes may be related to therapeutic climates and treatment outcomes and risk judgments, while in the social context, the views of the public about sexual offenders may play a key role in the reintegration of these offenders, and the political responses associated with sexual offending. Sexual crime is advocated as a public health issue, with attitudes towards the perpetrators of such offenses being of critical importance when trying to create a social environment within which to successfully reduce rates of sexual offending. In this article, the research evidence currently available in this area is reviewed. An analysis of the conceptualization and measurement of attitudes towards sexual offenders is provided, before the existing literature on the factors underlying such attitudes is explored. Following this, the malleability of attitudes towards sexual offenders is examined. The review concludes with some suggestions for future theoretical, empirical, and practical advancements in this important area.

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“…are at great risk from predators who lurk in schoolyards and playgrounds” (Levenson, Brannon, Fortney, & Baker, 2007, p. 143). These types of sex offenses are a potent combination that lead citizens and parents alike to call for social control through law and law enforcement (Harper, Hogue, & Bartels, 2017; Koon-Magnin, 2015; Levenson et al, 2007; Quinn, Forsyth, & Mullen-Quinn, 2004). Furthermore, the public typically perceives those with prior convictions for sex crimes as especially risky of future offending (King, 2016; Klein, 2018; Socia, Dum, & Rydberg, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parks, Playgrounds, and Incidents of Sexual Assault

Budd

Mancini

Bierie³

2018

Sex Abuse

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In the United States, certain laws restrict those convicted of sexually offending from accessing social spaces where youth congregate such as parks and playgrounds. However, empirical work to date has rarely described sexual assaults in these locations or tested the assumptions of these laws explicitly. To address these gaps in the literature, we drew on the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) to analyze offender, victim, and crime characteristics of sexual assaults that occurred at parks and playgrounds over a 5-year period (2010-2015). Estimated via multivariate logistic regression, results showed support for these law’s assumptions when analyzing this particular location. However, stranger perpetrators were significantly more likely to sexually assault adult victims versus youth victims. Several other offense features distinguished youth versus adult victim sexual assault incidents at parks and playgrounds, such as the offender age, the use of force, and the injuries sustained by the victim. Collectively, these findings both support and challenge these types of social space restriction laws.

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Perceptions of and support for sex offender policies: Testing Levenson, Brannon, Fortney, and Baker’s findings

Cited by 36 publications

References 39 publications

Sexual Offense Legislation Across the Pond: A Review of Community Sentiment Toward the United Kingdom’s Implementation of Sarah’s Law

Sexual Offense Legislation Across the Pond: A Review of Community Sentiment Toward the United Kingdom’s Implementation of Sarah’s Law

Attitudes towards sexual offenders: What do we know, and why are they important?

Parks, Playgrounds, and Incidents of Sexual Assault

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