The Effect of Statewide Residency Restrictions on Sex Offender Post-Release Housing Mobility

Rydberg, Jason; Grommon, Eric; Huebner, Beth M.; Bynum, Timothy S.

doi:10.1080/07418825.2012.667141

Cited by 23 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Motels that are used as emergency shelters can house a variety of ex-offenders for a variety of reasons (Dum, 2016). For instance, the increased housing instability caused by residence restrictions, combined with a lack of adequate transitional facilities, have led many sex offenders to become homeless (Levenson, 2008;Levenson, Ackerman, Socia, and Harris, 2013;Rydberg, Grommon, Huebner, and Bynum, 2014). This is exacerbated by homeless shelter policies that ban sex offenders (Rolfe, Tewksbury, and Schroeder, 2016).…”

Section: Stigma and Housingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public Support for Emergency Shelter Housing Interventions Concerning Stigmatized Populations

Dum

Socia

Rydberg

2017

Criminology & Public Policy

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Research Summary We examine citizen decision‐making in the context of providing access to safe housing to different noncriminal and criminal populations. More than 4,000 national online survey respondents considered different “emergency housing policy” scenarios that would affect the housing conditions of one of five randomly assigned populations of varying stigma (three noncriminal, two criminal). We find that the criminal populations had the least support for helpful housing policies and the most support for harmful housing policies. Furthermore, compared with a “no cost” policy, average support levels decreased when it increased taxes for the respondent. Policy Implications Citizens seem more willing to subject criminal populations to poor and unsafe housing conditions compared with noncriminal populations. Thus, citizen support may be higher when policies are pitched in ways that do not imply specifically helping ex‐offenders, when they do not involve a personal sacrifice through increased taxes, and when they do not involve “in‐my‐backyard” proposals. For example, a housing policy pitched as aiding the area's homeless (ex‐offenders included) would likely see more support than one that identifies ex‐offenders (and particularly sex offenders) as the population being targeted for help, or that identifies a specific neighborhood as a potential housing facility location.

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Section: Stigma and Housingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public Support for Emergency Shelter Housing Interventions Concerning Stigmatized Populations

Dum

Socia

Rydberg

2017

Criminology & Public Policy

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“…A targeted residence restriction policy that narrows the scope to offenders with child victims has more potential, but it has not been substantiated empirically. In one assessment, Rydberg, Grommon, Huebner, and Bynum () found that sex offenders with an offense conviction against a child victim experienced more residence mobility than other contact sex offenders in preresidency and postresidency restriction time periods. The challenge to the development of a targeted policy arises in how to identify a small group of offenders who specialize in child molestation and differentiate this population from the versatility observed among those convicted of sexual offenses (Harris, Knight, Smallbone, and Dennison, ; Harris, Mazerolle, and Knight, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect and Implications of Sex Offender Residence Restrictions

Huebner

Kras

Rydberg

et al. 2014

Criminology & Public Policy

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M i c h i g a n S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y Eric Grommon I n d i a n a U n i v e r s i t y -P u r d u e U n i v e r s i t y I n d i a n a p o l i s Breanne Pleggenkuhle S o u t h e r n I l l i n o i s U n i v e r s i t y -C a r b o n d a l e Research SummaryWe evaluated the efficacy of sex offender residence restrictions in Michigan and Missouri using a quasi-experimental design with propensity score matching. First, we examined the implementation of the laws and found that sex offenders in both states were less likely to live in restricted areas after the implementation of the laws than the prerestriction sample, but the differences were not statistically significant. In our outcome analysis, we find little evidence that residence restrictions changed the prevalence of recidivism substantially for sex offenders in the postrelease period. In Michigan, trends indicate that the implementation of the laws led to a slight increase in recidivism among the sex offender groups, whereas in Missouri, this effect resulted in a slight decrease in recidivism. Technical violations also declined for both groups in Missouri. The small effect sizes, inconsistent results across states, and the null results between sex offender and non-sex offender models cast doubt on the potential usefulness of the laws to influence individual patterns of recidivism broadly. Policy ImplicationsThe results caution against the widespread, homogenous implementation of residence restrictions. Instead, we advocate individualization in sex offender programming and call for the development of risk-centered models of residence restrictions that draw on the established literature. In addition, the research highlights the practical challenges in defining restricted areas, enforcing restrictions, and promoting successful returns to the community. Furthermore, a call for reframing the focus of sex offender reentry to include collaborative treatment groups and enhanced communication and services between key stakeholders is made. Finally, we close with a discussion of several best practice models that provide alternative housing sources for individuals sentenced under residence restrictions without a suitable home plan.Keywords residence restrictions, recidivism, parole, sex offenders, geographic information systems, collateral consequences of incarceration. taken place in the absence of the legislation. We use a quasi-experimental design with propensity score matching to estimate the efficacy of residence restriction legislation. This research design allows for a multistate evaluation of policy further increasing the internal and external validity of the research observations (Shadish, Cook, and Campbell, 2002). Data, Sample Selection, and MeasuresData for the current study were obtained from two sources. Recidivism and parolee movement information were culled from official records maintained by the Michigan and Missouri Department of Corrections. Address data for schools and childcare facilities were obtained from the Missouri State Police, the Missouri S...

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“…Alternatively, those who are transitioning through various types of housing, as noted by Matthew Desmond, may spend an inordinate amount of time creating new and dissolving old ties (i.e., disposable ties) with individuals just for survival and have less time for procuring and using drugs [6]. As Rydberg et al note, Bthe lack of stability and structure may strain relationships^(p. 437) [22]. It also affords these individuals greater flexibility in how they spend their free time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Housing Experiences among Opioid-Dependent, Criminal Justice-Involved Individuals in Washington, D.C.

et al. 2017

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Residential mobility and type of housing contributes to an individual's likelihood and frequency of drug/alcohol use and committing criminal offenses. Little research has focused simultaneously on the influence of housing status on the use of drugs and criminal behavior. The present study examines how residential mobility (transitions in housing) and recent housing stability (prior 30 days) correlates with self-reported criminal activity and drug/alcohol use among a sample of 504 addicted, treatment-seeking opioid users with a history of criminal justice involvement. Findings suggest that those with a greater number of housing transitions were considerably less likely to self-report criminal activity, and criminal involvement was highest among those who were chronically homeless. Residential mobility was unassociated with days of drug and alcohol use; however, residing in regulated housing (halfway houses and homeless shelters) was associated with a decreased frequency of substance use. The finding that residing at sober-living housing facilities with regulations governing behavior (regulated housing) was associated with a lower likelihood of illicit substance use may suggest that regulated housing settings may influence behavior. Further research in this area should explore how social networks and other related variables moderate the effects of housing type and mobility on crime and substance use.

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The Effect of Statewide Residency Restrictions on Sex Offender Post-Release Housing Mobility

Cited by 23 publications

References 52 publications

Public Support for Emergency Shelter Housing Interventions Concerning Stigmatized Populations

Public Support for Emergency Shelter Housing Interventions Concerning Stigmatized Populations

The Effect and Implications of Sex Offender Residence Restrictions

Housing Experiences among Opioid-Dependent, Criminal Justice-Involved Individuals in Washington, D.C.

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