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Download (.pdf) The implementation of county residence restrictions in New York.
by Kelly Socia
DOI: 10.1037/a0024993
Currently in 'Online First' status
First implemented in 1995 at the state level and in 2005 at the county and local level, sex offender residence... more First implemented in 1995 at the state level and in 2005 at the county and local level, sex offender residence restrictions have become extremely popular throughout the United States. However, only a single state-level study has examined the types of jurisdictions most likely to implement these policies, and no research has examined their implementation at the county level. This study addresses this lack of research by examining the characteristics of counties implementing these policies in New York State over the course of 5 years using Logistic regression and linear probability models. In doing so, this study draws on the literatures relating to the implementation of crime policies and the diffusion of policy innovations. Results indicate that political competition is very influential in implementing a county residence restriction. Further, while geographic proximity to an existing residence restriction may have some influence, it appears to discourage rather than encourage the implementation of these policies in nearby counties. This finding undercuts contentions of a “domino effect” and instead supports the existence of a “polar effect,” at least at the county level. Finally, the rate of sex crimes in a county is not related to the likelihood of implementing a residence restriction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)
The policy implications of residence restrictions on sex offender housing in Upstate NY
by Kelly Socia
Research Summary
Only a handful of studies have evaluated how residence restrictions would affect sex offender... more
Research Summary
Only a handful of studies have evaluated how residence restrictions would affect sex offender housing options, and even fewer have compared different residence restrictions to one another. This study analyzed how residence restrictions would affect the housing options of convicted sex offenders in the upstate New York region. Combinations of five buffer zone sizes (500 – 2,500 feet) and three scopes of restricted locations resulted in comparisons between fifteen unique residence restriction policies. Neighborhoods (i.e., census block groups) were first separated into three groups based on the percentage of restricted housing parcels they contained under each residence restriction policy (i.e., less than 33 percent of restricted housing parcels for the least restricted group, between 33 and 66 percent for the moderately restricted group, and more than 66 percent for the most restricted group). These groups were compared using ANOVA based on measures of housing density, availability and affordability, and social disorganization. The least restricted neighborhoods were consistently the least dense and the least socially disorganized, but the size and scope of a restriction influenced conclusions about the availability and affordability of housing and the overall number of neighborhoods offering substantial unrestricted housing to sex offenders. Additionally, comparing the extremely unrestricted and extremely restricted neighborhoods (i.e., neighborhoods containing less than 10 percent and more than 90 percent of restricted housing parcels, respectively) yielded similar conclusions to the comparisons of the least and most restricted neighborhoods.
Policy Implications
How a residence restriction policy affects sex offender housing options can depend largely on the size and scope of the policy in question. Policymakers should consider both the potential benefits of these policies, such as limiting sex offenders from residing in the most disorganized neighborhoods, and the potential consequences, such as limiting available and affordable housing options, or forcing offenders into only a handful of rural neighborhoods that may lack adequate support structures. Policymakers are advised to carefully study proposed or existing residence restrictions to ensure the evidence-based implementation (or retraction) of such policies. When policymakers are unable to devote the resources required to study the effects of a proposed restriction, the results of this study suggest that residence restrictions should be bypassed in favor of other measures that are more evidence-based.
Residence Restriction Legislation, Sex Crime Rates, and the Spatial Distribution of Sex Offender Residences
by Kelly Socia
This is my complete dissertation