Locating Topics of Interest: Managing Sex Offenders in the Community - Annotated Bibliography Example

Locating Topics of Interest Annotated Bibliography Managing Sex Offenders in the Community Lockley, S. . The Supervision of Sex Offenders in the Community – At What Cost? Internet Journal of Criminology Retrieved from www.internetjournalofcriminology.com. The article analyses the efficiency of contemporary practices used by the criminal justice system in managing sex offenders particularly after their release into the community. Study entailed review of literature from varying sources such as Nexis UK, Academic Search Elite, as well as Criminal Justice abstracts. The study found out that there is effective management of sex offenders in the community. In addition, the study concluded that the assessment tools are frequently challenged by legislation reforms as well as human right declarations. The study pointed identified MAPPA and use of sex offenders register helpful in management of sex offenders. Wilson, C., Bates, A., & Völlm, B. (2010). Circles of Support and Accountability: An Innovative Approach to Manage High-Risk Sex Offenders in the Community. The Open Criminology Journal, 3, 48-57. The research focused on describing the Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSAs) model, its history and its efficiency in re-integration of sex offenders into the community after their release from prison. According to the study, Circles of Support and Accountability (Circles) were initially developed in Canada for re-integration of child sex offenders back to the community. The study examined the effectiveness of circles by analysing primary and empirical data dealing with Circles from different sources. The research entailed examining groups of offenders who were incorporated into circles and comparing it with a control group of sex offenders not involved in circles. The study found that Circles help in reintegration of sex offenders into the society and reduce chances of re-offending. Juvenile Sex Offenders Michael F. (2009). Sex Offender Registration and Recidivism Risk in Juvenile Sexual Offenders, Behavioral Sciences and the Law vol 7. pg. 941-955. The article examines whether the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) has reduced sexual violence. The study assesses 106 registered and 66 unregistered cases involving juvenile sex offenders, which were obtained from The Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory as well as Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol. The study concludes that registration does not contribute much in reducing recidivism. On the contrary, registration may lead to augmented recidivism. Robert A. Prentky et al. (2010). Assessing Risk of Sexually Abusive Behavior among Youth in a Child Welfare Sample, 28 Behavioral Science And the Law 24. The study dealt with the predictability of Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol- II (J-SOAP-II) in making long-standing decisions pertaining to case management. The authors developed the J-SOAP-II that helps in evaluation risk factors that make juveniles prone to committing sexual as well as criminal offenses. In the study entailed examinations of samples comprising of pre- adolescent boys of ages ranging from 11 years and below as well as adolescents aged 12 years and above. The author concludes that J-SOAP-II and other risk assessment protocols are essential in clinical assessments of sexual offensiveness as well as in making short-term management decisions. Registration Laws for Sex Offenders Prescott, J., & Rockoff, J. (February 2011). Do Sex Offender Registration and Notification Laws Affect Criminal Behaviour? Journal of Law and Economics , vol. 54. The article assessed the effects of registration and notification laws on occurrence of reported sex felonies. The research entailed review of literature from sources such as FBI, NIBR, and UCR, which relate information on reported sex offenses to offenders as well as notification and legislation laws. The study found that registration helps in keeping the police informed on sex offenders leading to reduction of reported sex crimes. Notification reduces incidences of sex offenses by discouraging non-registered sex criminals. Newburn, K. (2011). The Prospect Of An International Sex Offender Registry: Why An International System Modeled After United States Sex Offender Laws Is Not An Effective Solution To Stop Child Sexual Abuse. Wisconsin International Law Journal , Vol. 28, No. 3. The article examined the effectiveness of United States sex offender laws and whether an International Sex Offender Registry could be modelled based on the U.S. domestic Megan’s Law. In the study, the United States sex laws are analysed and compared to other sex legislations as well as the 2009 European Union framework, which is based on human rights. The study concluded that the United States system of dealing with sex offenders was inadequate as it had several faults thus it could not be used to generate international sex offender registry. Some of the flaws mention is the encouragement of invasive notification in United States sex offenders’ legislations. The study recommended that the creation of international sex registry be a worldwide effort based on a model prepared by European Union in 2009. Female Sex Offenders Bexson, L. (2011). The Ultimate Betrayal’female Child Sex Offenders:An Exploration Of Theories, Media Representations And The Role Of The Internet In Relation To Female Perpetrators Of Child Sexual Abuse. Internet Journal of Criminology. Retrieved from http://www.internetjournalofcriminology.com/Bexson_Female_Child_Sex_Offenders_IJC_July_2011.pdf. The article examines the female sex offenders particularly those entrusted with child caring role such as nursery workers. The research discusses theories that explain actions displayed by female sex offenders. Three cases of female sex offenders were explored. The offenders were Myra Hindley, Rosemary West, and Vanessa George. The study also assessed the role that internet plays in motivating women sex offenders to sexually abuse children. The study used data from libraries based on materials such as textbooks, newspaper articles, and articles from journals as well as websites. The study concluded that women sex offenders are despised more than male sex offenders and that internet plays a role in increasing chances of female engagement in child sex abuse. Gannon, T. A., Rose, M. R., & Ward, T. (2008). A Descriptive Model of the Offense Process for Female Sexual Offenders. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 20,352-374. The article describes an offense process model that can be used to direct research related to female sexual offenders. The study entailed 22 interviews of female sexual offenders which were used to assess how cognitive, behavioral, background factors affect female sexual abuse. The research also compared the similarities and differences on the vulnerability of male verses female sex offenders. The study successfully used the ground theory to come up with a chain model representing the routine or process of behaviors exhibited by female sex offenders. Housing Challenges for Sex Offenders Hern, A., Levenson, J. (2008). Sex Offender Residence Restrictions: Unintended Consequences And Community Reentry. Justice Reseach and Policy Vol 9, No 1 , 59-74. The article examines the negative and positive consequences of the law segregating of sex offenders from the rest of society. The paper uses data from Justice Research and Statistics Association to demonstrate the seriousness of the problem. The study concludes that the segregation has augmented housing problem for sex offenders and limited their employment opportunities. Zgoba, K., Levenson, J., & Tracy, M. (2009). Examining the Impact of Sex Offender Residence Restrictions on Housing Availability. Criminal Justice Policy Review, vol 20 no.1, pg. 91-110. Article is base on a study conducted in Candem County within New Jersey on the impact of restricted residency for sex offenders. The research was mainly restricted to sex offenders living within 1,000 and 2,500 ft from schools, day cares, parks, as well as churches, which was established using Geographical Information System mapping technology. The research found out that 71% of sex offenders live 2,500 ft from schools and 80% near day cares. The research also found out that 80% of non-offenders live within the same localities. Research Proposals Proposed Topic; Managing Sex Offenders in the Community  Sex offenders often face rejection and discrimination particularly after finishing their sentence. The rejection results in tendency of most sex offenders to go back to crimes. Previous studies mainly focus on the legislative strategies that have been applied in re-integration of sex offenders. This study will compare and contrast the public perception on female versus female sex offenders. The study will also focus on how sex offenders respond to the different discriminative actions they may face. The study will entail use of questionnaire so be filled by individual who have previously been reported as sex offenders. The statistics of the number of female and male sex offenders within the United States over the last five years will be analysed. Literature reviews on current studies regarding management of sex offenders such as Wilson’s (2010) description of Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSAs) model will be considered. Current studies mainly focus on the management of sex offenders in the society thus there is need to understand the prevalence rates of sex offenses in terms of gender and how re-integration processes can be improved to address the social as well as psychological differences between men and women sex offenders. Research Questions Q1.what is the difference in the way the community perceived men and female sex offenders? Q2. Is there need to develop different re-integration processes for male and female sex offenders? Proposed Topic; Juvenile Sex Offenders  This research will examine whether adult sex offenders originate from victims of juvenile sexual abuse. The research will chiefly involve literature review on factors that have long-term influence on behaviour of individuals, particularly children. Most of current literature focus on influence of factors such as pornographic material on the rates of juvenile sex offences others focus on whether registration of sex offenders have reduced the incidences of recidivism in juvenile sexual offenders (Michael, 2009). Research Questions Q1.What is the probability of victims of child sexual abuse turning into sex offenders? Q2.What factors influence children to turn into sex offenders? Proposed Topic; Registration Laws for Sex Offenders  Most convicted sex offenders live in our communities. With appropriate supervision, many can live industrious and unwavering lives. Ideally, every sex offender should have a period to live within the community but under supervision (probation or parole) to monitor offender’s behaviours. Offenders who may be at risk of reoffending after their release may be returned to incarceration. Most of the current information on registration laws for sex offenders deals with how laws can be used to monitor sex offenders (Prescott & Rockoff, 2011). There is need for examining how the laws can be used to monitor the behaviors of sex offenders and at the same time help in their re-integration into the Community. Paper will focus on whether the registration laws have affected the re-integration of ex-convict sex offenders into the community. The study will also examine current measures put by the United States legislature to improve the safety of community when they are interacting with sex- offenders. Q1. What Efforts has the United States justice system put to Improve Public Safety When Offenders Are in the Community?  Proposed Topic; Female Sex Offenders Introduction Minimal research has been done on the factors that lead women to be sex offenders. There is thus need to establish the level of similarity between male and female sex offender to establish if the current legislations and measures taken to address sex offenders are equally applicable for both female and male sex offenders. Gannon & Ward (2008) developed a Descriptive Model of the Offense Process for Female Sexual Offenders, which provides some insight that the factors that lead women into sexual abuse are quite different from the factors influencing their male counterparts. In summary, the literature dealing with female sex offender is minimal while there are fewer comparisons of female and male sex offenders thus there is need for more research in this area. This study seeks to examine the similarity and differences of female sexual offenders with males. The study will entail assessment of available literature on the patterns followed by both male and female sexual offenders from police sources, textbooks, websites, as well as journals. Research Questions (1) To what degree are female sexual offenders comparable to, and dissimilar from, male sexual offenders? (2) To what extent are female sex offenders similar to non-sexual female offenders? Proposed Topic; Housing Challenges for Sex Offenders  Sex offenders housing challenges in most parts of United States as reflected in Federal Plan. However, offenders face additional challenges because of their standing as sex offenders, which make the public, discriminate against them. Convicted sex offenders living are either imprisoned or living within the community under different management systems. Most are under probation placement while other live on parole in either a community adjustment situation or a private residence after completing their sentence. the sex offender who are no longer under any form of custody face housing problem since the community still view them with partiality face housing problems. This study will focus on the factors that contribute to housing problems amongst sex offenders. This is because most studies have focused on the localities within which most sex offenders live (Zgoba, Levenson, & Tracy, 2009). The study will also review current literature on sex offenders housing and conduct interviews on reported sex offenders to examine the housing challenges they face. Research Questions Q1.Which are the factors have contributed to housing challenges faced by the sex offenders? Q2. What are some of the measures taken by the United States justice system to reduce housing problems of ex-convict sex offenders? Read More