NCJ Number
233563
Journal
Justice Research and Policy Volume: 11 Dated: 2009 Pages: 27-43
Date Published
2009
Length
17 pages
Annotation
The current study examined the locations where sex offenders first came into contact with their victims and the locations where offenders perpetrated offenses.
Abstract
Residence restriction laws, which aim to restrict known sex offenders from residing near child-dense community structures, appear, in part, to be based on the assumption that sex offenders are likely to seek out their victims in public places where children congregate. In the current study, archival case files (N = 405) of adult male sex offenders were analyzed to determine the frequency with which sex offenders met their victims and offended in public, semi-public, or private locations. Descriptive analyses revealed that 76.5 percent of the sex offenders in this sample met their victims in private locations, while 7.7 percent met their victims in semi-public settings, and 15.8 percent met their victims in public settings. Similarly, 82.2 percent of index offenses took place in private locations, while 10.9 percent and 6.9 percent occurred in semi-public and public locations, respectively. Given that a minority of offenses occur in public settings, sex offender-specific legislation that restricts offender access to child-dense places may be most effective if tailored narrowly to offender subtypes most likely to seek out victims in public places. (Published Abstract)