NCJ Number
203414
Journal
Crime Prevention and Community Safety: An International Journal Volume: 5 Issue: 4 Dated: 2003 Pages: 41-61
Date Published
2003
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This paper reports on a study that quantitatively and qualitatively examined the effects of sex offender community notification on neighborhood life in Racine, WI, including fear of crime, community morale, and the ability of residents and business owners to preserve and restore their neighborhood.
Abstract
In response to the national outrage over the anonymity of convicted pedophiles living in neighborhoods after the completion of their sentences, some of whom reoffended after their release from prison, Federal and State legislatures have enacted statutes that mandate expanded registration and community notification for this offender category. The rationale of these laws is that publicizing the release arrangements for recidivism-prone sex offenders will enable individuals and local agencies to take preventive action in protecting children. The setting for the current study was the Uptown, lower central city area of Racine, WI. Residing in Racine are some 200 registered sex offenders, most of whom live within a 1-mile radius of the city's core. Within this radius are the Uptown business district and its surrounding lower central city residential neighborhoods, comprising one of the most densely populated and poorest sections of the city. In order to test the validity of the assumption that sex offender placement has an impact on the lives and community of the Uptown, lower central city area, data were collected through a survey of a sample of household residents and commercial proprietors from July to September 2001. The analysis focused on 128 questionnaires, which represented a sample population of the 588 household and business addresses in the targeted area. Consistent with expectations cited in the social disorganization literature, the study findings provide limited support for the hypothesis that placement of a convicted sex offender in an area such as the one involved in this study has an adverse effect on neighborhood life, including considerable fear and anxiety along with anger and resentment. Many residents adopted lifestyle changes or risk prevention measures; however, collective reactions were absent, particularly those that would involve the strengthening of neighborhood support networks. Policy implications are discussed, with attention to alternative notification methods used by police agencies. 1 table, 6 notes, and 32 references