Community Notification: Perceptions of Its Effectiveness in Preventing Child Sexual Abuse

• NCJ Number: 195506
• Journal: Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Dated: 2001 Pages: 91-116
• Author(s): Allison D. Redlich
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 26 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study attempted to examine different groups’ perceptions of community notification laws and other measures of child sexual abuse prevention and the enactment of Megan’s Law.

Abstract

Washington State was the first State to adopt a community notification law requiring sex offenders to register under the 1990 Community Protection Act. This sex offender registration allows local police departments to track sex offenders and notify communities when there is a perceived potential danger. One of the main goals of community notification laws is to prevent sexual abuse. This study examined the perceived effectiveness of community notification in protecting children from sexual predators which was the initial impetus for the enactment of one such law, Megan’s Law. The main basis of Megan’s Law is community notification. Megan’s Law was signed into law in 1996 after Megan, a 7-year old girl, was raped and murdered by her neighbor, a convicted sex offender. This study reviewed the controversies surrounding Megan’s Law and the influence of group membership and demographic characteristics on support for Megan’s Law. In addition, the relation between knowledge of prevention concepts and the perceived effectiveness of community notification laws and current abuse prevention programs was examined. The study included 269 participants: 109 community members, 78 law enforcement officials, and 82 law students. A survey that included three questionnaires was administered to participants on demographics, child abuse prevention, and child abuse knowledge. Findings were addressed in discussions on community notification and group membership, community notification laws and gender, community notification, and type of criminal, community notification and knowledge of child sexual abuse facts, and caveats and limitations. In summation, differential support for community notification laws was seen among law enforcement agents, law students, and community members. Differential support could prove significant in the implementation of the laws, to the debates surrounding the constitutionality of the laws, and to the overall protection of the Nation’s children from sexual abuse. References