NCJ Number
215189
Journal
Criminal Justice Studies Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2006 Pages: 193-208
Date Published
June 2006
Length
16 pages
Annotation
The study explored the effect of extensive notification (Megan’s law) on the recidivism patterns of convicted sex offenders over a 4-year followup period.
Abstract
Results indicated that after controlling for other relevant variables, extensive notification laws such as Megan’s law had no significant impact on the recidivism patterns of convicted sex offenders. Moreover, no significant differences were found between the extensive and limited notification groups in terms of rearrest and recommitment to prison. Other findings revealed high levels of recidivism for the convicted sex offenders: at the end of the followup period, approximately half of the sex offenders in either group had been returned to prison. However, only about one in eight sex offenders was returned to prison for a new sex offense. Although these findings should be considered preliminary until more extensive research verifies the results, the findings call into question the utility of community notification practices. Participants were 2 groups of male sex offenders released from Wisconsin prisons between September 1997 and July 1999; 1 group comprised 47 sex offenders subjected to extensive notification while the other group comprised 166 matched sex offenders subjected to limited notification. Data on arrests and convictions during the course of a 4.5-year followup period were drawn from Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections and were analyzed using chi-square and t-test analyses. Future research should attempt to replicate this study in other States. Table, figure, notes, references