NCJ Number
227186
Journal
Criminal Justice Policy Review Volume: 20 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2009 Pages: 136-153
Date Published
June 2009
Length
18 pages
Annotation
The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of South Carolina's sex offender registration policy on juvenile offender recidivism risk.
Abstract
Results of the study provided no support for a deterrent effect on juvenile sex offenders. There was no statistical evidence that sex offender registration status at time could decrease the risk/hazard of recidivism at that time. However, moderate to strong statistical evidence was found that registration status at time could increase the risk/hazard of new charges. In summation, the study provided a reasonable test of the effects of South Carolina's public registration policy on risk/hazard of juvenile sexual recidivism. Policy implications were presented and discussed. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of registration status at time of risk on the commission or detection of new sexual and nonsexual offenses, with the aim of disentangling support for deterrence versus surveillance effects. Since South Carolina's registration policy has included lifetime public registration of juveniles since 1995, corresponding with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) requirements, South Carolina's policy was identified as having the potential to provide insight as to the eventual effects of the more recently enacted SORNA. This study accessed the entire population of South Carolina minors adjudicated for serious sexual offenses between January 1990 and December 2004, limited to male offenders between the ages of 6 and 17 at initial adjudication. Figure, tables, and references