Stephanie Rose: The Impact of Sex Offender Registration Laws on Offenders’ Reintegration Into Society
Information related to the experiences of sex offenders required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act of 2006 is predominantly based on quantitative data, and the majority of information relates to the factors that contribute to sexual offenses, recidivism rates, and public opinion of the sex offender registry. There is a lack of research on the lived experience of sex offenders who are required to register, specifically those in rural Pennsylvania. Research is also lacking on how sex offenders and the professionals with whom they interact perceive the registry. Therefore, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perspective of those who are most familiar with the registry: sex offenders, law enforcement officers, and sex offender therapists. The theoretical framework was Goffman’s social construction theory. Semi-structured, in person interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 10 individuals including registered sex offenders in rural Pennsylvania, local law enforcement officers, and therapists who offer rehabilitative services to registered sex offenders. Data were analyzed using Moustakas’s approach to phenomenological analysis to identify emerging themes. The data resulted in 8 emerging themes: employment challenges, stigmatization by society, social isolation, psychological and emotional burdens, the importance of rehabilitation, broken relationships, the importance of a support system, and political powerlessness. Research about the lived experience of sex offenders required to register under SORNA can contribute to positive social change by increasing policy makers’ understanding of the factors that facilitate and hinder offenders’ reintegration into society.
Recommended Citation
Rose, Stephanie, “The Impact of Sex Offender Registration Laws on Offenders’ Reintegration Into Society” (2020). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 8795.
Thank you, Stephanie Rose, for devoting your dissertation to this critical topic, and congratulations!
Stephanie Rose what an accomplished writer you are . Thank You. This should be mandatory reading for every judge in this country. I hope Attorney’s are able to use it to right some of the unjustifiable laws in this land.
Excellent!! Thank you Ms. Rose. Well done!!
Hopefully this exhaustive and brilliant study can be cited and helpful for ongoing and future cases. Thank you very much, Stephanie Rose. But please excuse my cynicism, WE have repeatedly beaten facts into the heads of legislators, prosecutors, judges, sheriffs, and the general public with little success. Punishments are meted out based solely on the savagery of revenge, nothing else. All on emotion, the facts be damned.
Does Miss Stephanie Rose have any contact info? I would be willing to share a testimony with her to help further this study.