Insights & Information

Public policy with regard to sex offenders has been a major point of contention in both state and national politics. Current policies often require sex offenders to register as part of a public registry, despite significant research calling into question the effectiveness of such requirements in increasing public safety and deterring sex offenses. A piece by Jamey Dunn in the September issue of Illinois Issues addresses this topic. One recent study found that, while requiring sex offenders to register with police may significantly reduce the chances that they will re-offend, making that same registry information available to the public may lead to higher overall rates of sex crime. Another finds no evidence that sex offender registries are at all effective in increasing public safety. To read more about these studies, click here.

As a part of the Pew Center on the States' on-going Public Safety Performance Project, Pew worked with two of the nation's leading polling firms to investigate public attitudes towards crime and punishment.  The firms used a combination of focus groups and a national survey of voters.  Among the findings:

• Without question, voters want a strong public safety system with accountibility and consequences for illegal activities.  At the same time, voters believe that such a system is possible while also reducing the size and cost of the prison system. 
• Focus groups expressed considerable empathy for those convicted of non-violent crimes and their life circumstances.  Participants were in favor of punishments that did not include prison, instead opting for community service.  Participants agreed that substance abuse treatment and job training programs are also appropriate.
• Using familiar and non-technical language that emphasizes public safety resonates with voters.  People responded more favorably to terms such as "mandatory supervision" to describe non-prison sanctions as opposed to "community corrections".

The summary of Pew's findings can be found here.