The Pros And Cons Of Sex Offender Notification Laws

Sex offender notification laws have been among the most widely discussed and debated criminal justice policy issues in recent years. Numerous studies have been conducted on various views of sex offender notification laws. A vast majority of these studies have mixed research, some showing that sex offender notification laws are more beneficial than harmful and should continue, and others showing the exact opposite. Reasons such as public safety, the fear factor, and the hope for future recidivism to go down are some examples of why many believe that sex offender notification laws are beneficial to society. Others believe that such laws are a continuation of punishment for those who were convicted of a sex offense. Studies show that these laws make it difficult for sex offenders to return to society. These different views of

Some major reasons to keep sex offender notification laws in place are the fear factor of citizens, parents having the right to know in order to protect their children, and hopes for a reduction in the recidivism. The fear of offenders coming back into society without being supervised and not knowing what could happen is terrifying to many, especially parents who just want to protect their children. Others have high hopes that someday the recidivism, even though it is not high, will still reduce as time continues with the laws in effect. On the other end of the spectrum, other people believe that these laws are entirely too much and are unnecessary. Reasons to eliminate these laws include, continued punishment, difficulty returning to society, the fact that recidivism is extremely low compared to other offenses, and there is little evidence that shows the laws make society safer. There is still much more research that needs to be done with these laws to decide if they are necessary for today’s