Journal article
Subverting the System: Reducing Sex Offender Recidivism and Aiding Reentry Through the Use of Specialty Courts
Texas A&M law review, v 13(1), pp 73-132
Jul 2025
Abstract
Sex offender policy in the United States is predicated on accomplishing risk reduction and increasing public safety via punishment and incapacitation. Theoretically, accomplishing these goals should lessen the risk that sex offenders pose to society. However, an accumulated research base suggests that sex offender policies are ineffective in that they do not reduce recidivism rates, do not diminish children’s risk of sexual predation, and produce numerous detrimental collateral consequences. Further, current sex offender policies may actively undermine risk reduction by placing factors known to reduce risk level, such as stable housing, employment, and social support, out of the reach of sex offenders. Protecting victims should be one of the most important goals of sex offender policy, yet these laws have not significantly reduced the prevalence and pain of sexual violence. Despite the obvious shortcomings of sex offender policies in the United States, systemic reform does not appear to be on the horizon. However, this Article seeks to explore a way to work within this reality: subverting the system. Accordingly, it first seeks to outline sex offender policies as they currently stand in the United States, focusing on measures including registration, community notification, and residency restriction, while noting the drawbacks to such measures. Second, it offers explanations for why sex offender policies in the United States appear to be shortsighted, as well as offers explanations based in social science for why this short-sightedness is unlikely to change. Third, it explores previous examples of subverting a restrictive system, those of juvenile specialty courts, adult drug courts, and adult mental health courts. Lastly, it pro vides a proposal for subverting the system as regards sex offenders in the form of sex offender specialty courts.
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Details
- Title
- Subverting the System: Reducing Sex Offender Recidivism and Aiding Reentry Through the Use of Specialty Courts
- Creators
- Jaymes Fairfax-Columbo - Drexel UniversityEmma Hamilton - University of Southern CaliforniaChelsea Jackson - Drexel UniversityLia Knox-HersheyDavid DeMatteo - Drexel University
- Publication Details
- Texas A&M law review, v 13(1), pp 73-132
- Publisher
- Texas A&M University
- Number of pages
- 60
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology); Thomas R. Kline School of Law
- Other Identifier
- 991022130775404721