| This study will utilize current information for sex offenders under probation or parole supervision to illustrate whether or not these residency restriction zones are pushing sex offenders away from their treatment providers, and thus setting them up for failing out of treatment and actually putting them at greater risk for recidivating. Availability of residential land parcels outside of the restricted zones will be analyzed a one mile restricted zone. Individual offender data will be analyzed in an effort to determine which offenders, if any, failed to complete their treatment while under probation or parole supervision. It will be speculated as to whether or not the new law would move offenders significantly further away from their treatment providers, indicating that more offenders would fail out of their treatment programs and be at a greater likelihood of recidivating. While there have been previous studies done on the availability of residential parcels outside of restricted areas for sex offenders (Grubesic et al., 2007; Walker, 2007; Zandbergen & Hart, 2006), and also on the effectiveness of treatment in reducing recidivism (Alexander, 1999; Hanson & Bussiere, 1998; Stalans, 2004; Turner et al., 2000), researchers have not yet looked at how far these offenders already have to travel to get to their treatment providers, whether or not they would have to travel farther after residency restrictions are put into place, and what effect distance may have on their treatment attendance and completion. If residency restriction legislation is moving sex offenders significantly farther away from their treatment providers and thus adding to their risk of failure and recidivism, then the legislation would be defeating itself in that it would not be reducing sex offender recidivism. |
