Public Perception of Sex Offenders, Registration and Community Notification

There are many policies and procedures that sex offenders must follow upon release into the community. The intention of registration laws is to reduce sexual offending by keeping track of offenders and deterring future offenses. Legislation related to perpetrators of sexual crime has changed significantly over time and current legislative efforts have focused on reducing the risk of sexual violence in the community. This studies aim was to add to the limited body of research on sex offender registration and community notification laws from the geographical areas of Ontario Canada and California (N = 63). The findings indicate that public perception of sex offenders, registration and community notification from participants in these areas was not different and both groups agreed sex offenders should be required to register on a national sex offender registry that is accessible to the public. These findings suggest that even though the sex offender registration and community notification laws are different in these two geographical regions, public opinion is not. Future research should attempt to compare sex offender registration and community notification laws with public perception in other counties.