Examining the Impact of Sex Offenders Residence Restrictions on Housing Availability

• NCJ Number: 226366
• Journal: Criminal Justice Policy Review Volume: 20 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2009 Pages: 91-110
• Author(s): Kristen M. Zgoba; Jill Levenson; Tracy McKee
• Date Published: March 2009
• Length: 20 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research); Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the potential impact of residence restrictions on housing availability for registered sex offenders (n=211) in Camden County, NJ.

Abstract

The findings indicate that a majority of registered sex offenders would be restricted from living in their current homes if they were prohibited from living with typical exclusionary zones of 1,000 and 2,500 feet from facilities and areas where children typically congregate (i.e., schools, day-care centers, churches, and parks). In addition, few options for housing in Camden County exist outside of these common restricted zones. The majority of sex offenders in Camden County live within 2,500 feet of schools (71 percent) and day-care centers (80 percent); and 88 percent live within 2,500 feet of one of four other areas where children regularly engage in activities. Comparatively, 80 percent of nonoffending residents live within 2,500 feet of such areas. Sex offenders who victimized adults lived significantly closer to schools compared to those sex offenders who victimized children. This suggests that those types of sex offenders for whom housing-restriction laws were written are not strongly motivated to live near areas where children congregate. In addition, it is probable that dwellings situated farther from schools and day-care centers are in more affluent areas with lower density and larger properties, which would make them unaffordable for sex offenders. The authors argue that legislators should consider alternatives to residence restrictions, and the criminal justice academic community should continue to advocate for evidence-based social policies. Once the researchers identified the spatial locations of offenders and the locations of interest (schools, day-care centers, etc.), 1,000 and 2,500 feet buffers were constructed around every location of interest. The Select by Location tool in ArcGIS was then used to determine the number and percentage of registered sex offenders living within these buffer areas. 1 table, 6 figures, and 51 references