Two Powerful Studies on the Ineffectiveness of the Registry
A bit of good news that came out recently was in The University of Chicago Press Journals, August 18, 2023. In the published study by Patrick Lussier, Evan McCuish, and Elizabeth L. Jeglic, “Against All Odds: The Unexplained Sexual Recidivism Drop in the United States and Canada,” the abstract includes: “Sexual recidivism rates reported in American studies have been low and dropping since the 1970s, well before enactment of public registration and notification laws. A more pronounced drop was observed in Canadian studies despite the absence of public registration and notification laws.” The full article is behind a paywall.
Add the above-mentioned study taken with the one that came out in 2021, (Journal of Experimental Criminology, “The effectiveness of Sex Offender Registration and Notification: A meta-analysis of 25 years of findings”, by Kristen M. Zgoba and Meghan M. Mitchell, September 2021), and we have some powerful evidence that the sex offender registry is NOT effective.
The 2021 study was the first-of-its-kind meta-analysis study of 25 years of findings of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification (SORN) evaluations and their effects on recidivism. Eighteen research articles including 474,640 formerly incarcerated individuals were used.
Findings from this study: “SORN policies have no effect on sexual and non-sexual crime commission over their period of existence, thereby failing to deliver on the intention of increasing public safety. Given the vast support that exists for the laws, their lack of efficacy will likely create a false sense of security for the public and may ultimately create more harm than benefit.”
We need to be sharing these two studies with as many political leaders as possible.
While studies are good by government many governments overlook much of this sex registry issue. Playing a role in a devilish registry ruse via some internet is not just to lay on others. Does one trust in science or is the “Why” factor some abuse shadowed in darkness by this coy. When government leads others there is a greater factor involved that damages the trust and the character of government and others involved.
Biblical truth says two wrongs don’t make a right or have we all sinned and fell short. Their is not a just man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not. Government should take a real good look at this upsetting issue. Even many in Prison should not be there or does a inducement of this masquerade have to lead others as in these registry trap.
is there a link where we can download these reports? I just started taking paralegal courses (online as no local college will allow me attend on campus) with the goal of challenging the registration laws here in Arkansas as a pro se litigant.
A lot of them are behind a paywall just google university of Chicago press journal free and different keywords here’s one that came up
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/707310
It’s about Residency Restrictions
here in Texas they cannot bar you from attending any college, you just have to report to the college of your status and report to your registry that you are attending classes
@texas-2
When I was put on the registry in 1997, I applied for a scholarship and for the 2nd time in my life, I attended college. I got a 100% scholarship and graduated with honors and without a soul in my class knowing I was on the registry.
Things have changed so much from then, I was even on probation at the time so of course the probation officer knew but she was cool and never said anything as long as I reported the dates and times to her that I would be on the campus in case of any incidents.
No way that would happen today with the way the registry has evolved into a 3 headed monster. At least not here in Florida anyway.
So far I’m in the camp of the 2 comments above. You can educate ignorance but you can’t fix stupid. The only way to fix stupid is to cut off the money and power that feeds it such as federal/state tax dollars and vote out stupid politicians and elect ones that are willing to follow the science. Unfortunately we will have to pull out our checkbooks and there are no guarantees.
No matter what, any statistics that show reduced expectations of recidivism will be claimed at to the effectiveness of the registry. Truth be damned.
I’ve read the studies, and they are good, but I’m increasingly wary of how effective science is in battling this stuff. We have, after all, known since the 1950’s that recidivism rates are low for those convicted of sex offenses which did little to stop the rise of registries. It’s very difficult to kill with science that which was borne of fear and disgust and ambient anxieties around children.
do you think politicians dont know this? They dont care is the issue. oh…they know…. it was never about recidivism or preventing crime.. its always been about retaliation, revenge, and distraction… As long as the public is eating its own it isn’t looking at the heinous crimes the politician’s are committing… Notice Maxwell was sentenced to 25 years for trafficking kids for torture and sexual abuse to NOBODY? very very strange that be isn’t it? notice not one single politician or judge is clamoring to have those names released or any investigation or charges brought? I think we all know why dont we? its never about the crime.. its always about who commits it..