Publications / Reports & Studies

 

No Easy Answers – Sex Offender Laws in the US

by Sarah Tofte, researcher for the US Program of Human Rights Watch, September 12, 2007. Comprehensive study of United States sex offender policies, their public safety impact and the effect they have on registrants and their families.

Raised on the Registry: The Irreparable Harm of Placing Children on Sex Offender Registries in the US 

by Nicole Pittman, Soros Senior Justice Advocacy Fellow at Human Rights Watch and Alison Parker, US Program director at Human Rights Watch, May 2013. This 111 page report details the harm public registration laws can cause for youthful sex offenders.

Enhancing Child Safety and Online Technologies

Final report of the Internet Safety Technical Task Force, December 2008.

The Relationship Between Juvenile Sex Offender Registration and Depression in Adulthood

by Sharon E. Denniston, Ph.D.; February 2016; A summary of dissertation research findings and selected excerpts from the dissertation. “This study examined whether a predictive relationship exists between sex offender registration for a juvenile offense and severity of depression in current and former registrants after they have matured into adulthood, and whether the relationship persists when there is no longer a duty to register as a sex offender.” Download PDF here

Sexual Offender Residence Restrictions – 2014 ATSA Position Paper:

“… in the absence of evidence that these laws accomplish goals of child protection, ATSA does not support the use of residence restrictions as a feasible strategy for sex offender management.”