The influence of a juvenile’s abuse history on support for sex offender registration.

Abstract

We investigated whether and how a juvenile’s history of experiencing sexual abuse affects public perceptions of juvenile sex offenders in a series of 5 studies. When asked about juvenile sex offenders in an abstract manner (Studies 1 and 2), the more participants (community members and undergraduates) believed that a history of being sexually abused as a child causes later sexually abusive behavior, the less likely they were to support sex offender registration for juveniles. Yet when participants considered specific sexual offenses, a juvenile’s history of sexual abuse was not considered to be a mitigating factor. This was true when participants considered a severe sexual offense (forced rape; Study 3 and Study 4) and a case involving less severe sexual offenses (i.e., statutory rape), when a juvenile’s history of sexual abuse backfired and was used as an aggravating factor, increasing support for registering the offender (Study 3 and Study 5). Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

Adolescent sex offender registration policy: Perspectives on general deterrence potential from criminology and developmental psychology.

“…Indeed, the retributive nature and constitutional validity of registration policies have been called into question (see Yung, 2009). Public support for sex offender laws is driven consistently by stereotypes, moral outrage, and retributive motivations (Pickett, Mancini, & Mears, 2013; Salerno, Murphy, & Bottoms, 2014; Salerno, Najdowski, et al, 2010; Stevenson et al, 2015; see also Carlsmith, Darley, & Robinson, 2002). Koon-Magnin (2015) found that community members were no less likely to support sex offender policies even after being told that “there is no scientific evidence showing that sex offender registries or notification laws reduce sexual abuse” (p. 83), suggesting that the value of these policies lies not in their instrumental effectiveness but rather in the symbolic message they send about public disgust with sex offenders.…”

Exploring public attitudes towards sex and grievous bodily harm offenders who have experienced childhood abuse

“…Attribution Theory can help to explain these findings (Crisp & Turner, 2014;Shaver, 1985;Weiner, 2006). Attributing childhood maltreatment as the cause of adulthood offending can generate leniency (Stevenson et al, 2015). Individuals may attribute the cause of crime as being out of their control, consequently generating a less punitive attitude towards people who offend (Carroll, 1978;Carroll & Payne, 1977;Graham et al, 1997;Najdowski & Bottoms, 2012).…”