NY- Residency laws are questioned

3-8-2009 New York:

I applaud your Feb. 18 editorial, "Colonie's misguided law." Sex-offender laws are often based on hysteria and myth, rather than on fact. It is impossible to have effective laws when reality is ignored.

Attention needs to be paid to a study by the University at Albany School of Criminal Justice. It calls into question not only the spreading sex-offender residency laws but registration and notification laws. The abstract of this report states: "Results provide no support for the effectiveness of registration and community notification laws in reducing sexual offending by: (A) rapists, (B) child molesters, (C) sexual recidivists, or (D) first-time sex offenders. Analyses also showed that over 95 percent of all sexual offense arrests were committed by first-time sex offenders, casting doubt on the ability of laws that target repeat offenders to meaningfully reduce sexual offending." ("Does a watched pot boil? A time-series analysis of New York State's sex offender registration and notification law." Sandler, Jeffrey C.; Freeman, Naomi J.; Socia, Kelly M., Psychology, Public Policy, and Law. Vol 14(4), Nov 2008, 284-302).

The New Jersey Department of Corrections reports similar findings: "Given the lack of demonstrated effect of Megan's Law on sexual offenses, the growing costs may not be justifiable." ("Megan's Law: Assessing the Practical and Monetary Efficacy"). ..Opinion.. of C. David Hess, West Henrietta (SOhopeful of New York)