The adam walsh act: A false sense of security or an effective public policy initiative?

Criminal Justice Policy Review

Volumn 21, Issue 1, 2010, Pages 31-49

  Freeman, Naomi J ^a   Sandler, Jeffrey C ^b  

^a NEW YORK STATE OFFICE OF MENTAL HEALTH   (United States)

^b STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK   (United States)

Author keywords

Adam Walsh Act; Risk factors; Sex offenders; Sexual recidivism; SORNA

Indexed keywords

EID: 77749299083     PISSN: 08874034     EISSN: 15523586     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/0887403409338565     Document Type: Article

References (38)

1. Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, H.R. 4472, 109th (2006).
2. Barbaree, H.E., & Marshall, W.L. (1988). Deviant sexual arousal, offense history, and demographic variables as predictors of reoffense among child molesters. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 6, 267-280.
3. Berliner, L., Schram, D., Miller, L.L., & Milloy, C.D. (1995). A sentencing alternative for sex offenders: A study of decision making and recidivism. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 10, 487-502.
4. Center for Sex Offender Management. (2007, March). Female sex offenders. Silver Springs, MD: Center for Effective Public Policy.
5. Cortoni, F., & Hanson, R.K. (2005). A review of recidivism rates of adult female sexual offenders. Ottawa, Ontario: Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada.
6. Dempster, R.J., & Hart, S.D. (2002). The relative utility of fixed and variable risk factors in discriminating sexual recidivists and nonrecidivists. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 14, 121-138.
7. Department of Justice. (2008, July). Federal register: The national guidelines for the Sex Offender Registration and Notification. Washington, DC: Author.
8. Epperson, D.L., Kaul, J.D., Huot, S.J., Hesselton, D., Alexander, W., & Goldman, R. (1998). Minnesota Sex Offender Screening Tool-Revised (MnSOST-R): Development, performance, and recommended risk level cut scores. Retrieved February 27, 2008, from http://www.psychology.iastate.edu/faculty/epperson/mnsost_download.htm.
9. Freeman, N.J. (in press). The public safety impact of community notification laws: Re-arrest of convicted sex offenders. Crime & Delinquency.
10. Freeman, N.J., & Sandler, J.C. (2008). Female and male sex offenders: A comparison of recidivism patterns and risk factors. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 23, 1394-1413.
11. Hanson, R.K. (2002). Recidivism and age: Follow-up data from 4,673 sexual offenders. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 17, 1046-1062.
12. Hanson, R.K., & Bussière, M.T. (1998). Predicting relapse: A meta-analysis of sexual offender recidivism studies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, 348-362.
13. Hanson, R.K., Harris, A.J.R., Scott, T.L., & Helmus, L. (2007). Assessing the risk of sexual offenders on community supervision: The Dynamic Supervision Project. Ottawa, Ontario: Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada.
14. Hanson, R.K., & Morton-Bourgon, K. (2004). Predictors of sexual recidivism: An updated meta-analysis. Ottawa, Ontario: Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada.
15. Hanson, R.K., Scott, H., & Steffy, R.A. (1995). A comparison of child molesters and nonsexual criminals: Risk predictors and long-term recidivism. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 32, 325-337.
16. Hanson, R.K., Steffy, R.A., & Gauthier, R. (1993). Long-term recidivism of child molesters. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 646-652.
17. Hanson, R.K., & Thornton, D. (1999). Static-99: Improving actuarial risk assessments for sex offenders. Ottawa, Ontario: Department of the Solicitor General of Canada.
18. Harris, A.J.R., & Hanson, R.K. (2004). Sex offender recidivism: A simple question. Ottawa, Ontario: Solicitor General of Canada.
19. Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act, 42 U.S.C. 14071 (1994).
20. Justice Policy Institute. (2008). What will it cost states to comply with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act? Retrieved October 6, 2008, from http://www.njjn.org/resource_840.html.
21. Knight, R.A., & Thornton, D. (2007). Evaluating and improving risk assessment schemes for sexual recidivism: A long-term follow-up on convicted sex offenders. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.
22. Kruttschnitt, C., Uggen, C., & Shelton, K. (2000). Predictors of desistance among sex offenders: The interaction of formal and informal social controls. Justice Quarterly, 17, 61-87.
23. Langan, P.A., & Levin, D.J. (2002). Recidivism of prisoners released in 1994. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
24. Langan, P.A., Schmitt, E.L., & Durose, M.R. (2003). Recidivism of sex offenders released from prison in 1994. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
25. Långström, N. (2002). Long-term follow-up of criminal recidivism in young sex offenders: Temporal patterns and risk factors. Psychology, Crime & Law, 8, 41-58.
26. Långström, N., Sjöstedt, G., & Grann, M. (2004). Psychiatric disorders and recidivism in sexual offenders. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 16, 139-150.
27. Levenson, J.S., & D'Amora, D.A. (2007). Social policies designed to prevent sexual violence: The emperor's new clothes? Criminal Justice Policy Review, 18, 168-199.
28. Megan's Law, Pub. L. No. 104-145, 110 Stat. 1345 (1996).
29. Minnesota Department of Corrections. (2007). Sex offender recidivism in Minnesota. St. Paul, MN: Author.
30. Motiuk, L.L., & Brown, S.L. (1996). Factors related to recidivism among released federal sex offenders. Ottawa, Ontario: Research Division Correctional Service Canada.
31. Nebraska State Patrol. (2009). Sex offender registry frequently asked questions. Retrieved January 7, 2009, from http://www.nsp.state.ne.us/sor/FAQ.cfm#12.
32. Petrosino, A.J., & Petrosino, C. (1999). The public safety potential of Megan's Law in Massachusetts: An assessment from a sample of criminal sexual psychopaths. Crime & Delinquency, 45, 140-158.
33. Romeo, J.J., & Williams, L.M. (1985). Recidivism among convicted sex offenders: A 10-year follow-up study. Federal Probation, 49, 58-64.
34. Sandler, J.C., Freeman, N.J., & Socia, K.M. (2008). Does a watched pot boil? A time-series analysis of New York State's Sex Offender Registration and Notification. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 14, 284-302.
35. Walker, J.T., Maddan, S., Vásquez, B.E., VanHouten, A.C., & Ervin-McCarthy, G. (2005). The influence of sex offender registration and notification laws in the United States. Available fromwww.acic.org.
36. Winick, B.J. (1998). Sex offender law in the 1990s: A therapeutic jurisprudence analysis. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 4, 505-570.
37. Zevitz, R.G. (2006). Sex offender community notification: Its role in recidivism and offender reintegration. Criminal Justice Studies, 19, 193-208.
38. Zgoba, K., Witt, P., Dalessandro, M., & Veysey, B. (2008). Megan's Law: Assessing the practical and monetary efficacy. Trenton: New Jersey Department of Corrections.