Attachment--and loss.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/5/110/206.full.pdf

The american psychological association.

Quasi-experimentation - design and analysis issues for field settings - cook,td, campbell,dt

Statistical Analysis With Missing Data (2nd ed.) (Book)

Motivational Interviewing: Preparing People for Change

Sex offenders and sex crimes provoke a great deal of anxiety in our society, and over the past decade, lawmakers have passed a variety of social policies designed to protect the public from sexual victimization. The purpose of this study was to examine public perceptions about sex offenders and community protection policies. Data were obtained from a sample of 193 residents in Melbourne, Florida. It was hypothesized that the public holds some inaccurate beliefs about sex offenders, and that there is strong public support for community protection policies. It was found that community members believe that sex offenders have very high recidivism rates, view sex offenders as a homogeneous group with regard to risk, and are skeptical about the benefits of sex offender treatment. The hypothesis that public perceptions contradict empirical research was supported. Community members were overwhelmingly in favor of public disclosure of information about registered sex offenders, although they did not express as much support for residence restrictions. Implications for public policy, and for the media's role in shaping public perceptions, are discussed.

/pdf/public-perceptions-about-sex-offenders-and-community-4pragu82jw.pdf

Public Perceptions About Sex Offenders and Community Protection Policies

The purpose of this study is to better understand the positive and negative, intended and unintended, consequences of community notification on sex offenders’ rehabilitation and reintegration. A sample of 183 convicted male sex offenders from Florida completed the survey. Overall, about one third of participants had experienced dire events, such as the loss of a job or home, threats or harassment, or property damage. Physical assaultwas a relatively rare occurrence. The majority identified negative effects, such as stress, isolation, loss of relationships, fear, shame, embarrassment, and hopelessness. Some participants noted positive effects of Megan’s Law, including motivation to prevent reoffense and increased honesty with friends and family. Fewsex offenders believed that communities are safer because of Megan’s Law, and more than half reported that the information posted about them on Florida’s Internet registry was incorrect. Implications for practice and policy are discussed.

/pdf/the-effect-of-megan-s-law-on-sex-offender-reintegration-rd57vztdea.pdf

The Effect of Megan’s Law on Sex Offender Reintegration:

Community notification, known as "Megan's Law," provides the public with information about known sex offenders in an effort to assist parents and potential victims to protect themselves from dangerous predators. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of community notification on the lives of registered sex offenders. Two hundred and thirty-nine sex offenders in Connecticut and Indiana were surveyed. The negative consequences that occurred with the greatest frequency included job loss, threats and harassment, property damage, and suffering of household members. A minority of sex offenders reported housing disruption or physical violence following community notification. The majority experienced psychosocial distress such as depression, shame, and hopelessness. Recommendations are made for community notification policies that rely on empirically derived risk assessment classification systems in order to better inform the public about sex offenders' danger while minimizing the obstacles that interfere with successful community reintegration.

/pdf/megan-s-law-and-its-impact-on-community-re-entry-for-sex-1rii7crmxg.pdf

Megan's Law and its impact on community re-entry for sex offenders.

Several states have enacted public policies that prohibit sex offenders who have abused children from living within close proximity to a school, park, day care center, or school bus stop. The purpose of this exploratory study was to describe the impact of residence restric- tions on sex offender reintegration and to better understand sex offenders'perceptions of these laws. A survey of 135 sex offenders in Florida was conducted. Most of the molesters who responded to the survey indicated that housing restrictions increased isolation, created finan- cial and emotional stress, and led to decreased stability. Respondents also indicated that they did not perceive residence restrictions as helpful in risk management and, in fact, reported that such restrictions may inadvertently increase triggers for reoffense. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

/pdf/the-impact-of-sex-offender-residence-restrictions-1-000-feet-3gb84w5mu1.pdf

The Impact of Sex Offender Residence Restrictions: 1,000 Feet From Danger or One Step From Absurd?

Sex crimes provoke fear and anger among citizens, leading to the development of social policies designed to prevent sexual violence. The most common policies passed in recent years have included se...

/pdf/social-policies-designed-to-prevent-sexual-violence-the-2qqbcxx5dw.pdf

Jill S. Levenson

Papers

Public Perceptions About Sex Offenders and Community Protection Policies

The Effect of Megan’s Law on Sex Offender Reintegration:

Megan's Law and its impact on community re-entry for sex offenders.

The Impact of Sex Offender Residence Restrictions: 1,000 Feet From Danger or One Step From Absurd?

Social Policies Designed to Prevent Sexual Violence: The Emperor's New Clothes?