Home      Login

Abstract: 

Examining the effects of sex offender registry and notification laws to reduce recidivism, two studies call into question basic assumptions about the way they work. J.J. Prescott and Jonah E. Rockoff, in “Do Sex Offender Registration and Notification Laws Affect Criminal Behavior?” 54(2) J. L. & Econ. 161, conclude that making registries available to the public erases most of the benefits of having offenders register, while Amanda Y. Agan, in “Sex Offender Registries: Fear Without Function?” 54(2) J. L. & Econ. 207), found no correlation between the registered addresses of sex offenders and rates of sex crimes in those areas, a finding that calls into question the premise for creating registries in the first place.

Keywords: Sex offender registries; sex offender recidivism; sex crime rates

Affiliations:  1: John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Fordham Law School.