2007
Abstract:
In the state of Ohio, House Bill 180, Senate Bill 175 and Senate Bill 5 collectively form Megan's Law. This law requires individuals convicted of a sexually oriented offense to register with the local sheriff 's office at least twenty days prior to the move-in date of the offender. Beginning July 31, 2003, Megan's Law prohibited an offender of a sexually oriented offense from establishing or occupying a residence within 1,000 feet of any school-related properties. A major social concern with this law and its subsequent enforcement is the belief that the geographic constraints placed on registered sex offenders effectively eliminate nearly all residential housing options. The purpose of this paper is to explore issues of geographic exclusion by conducting a spatial analysis of registered sex offenders in Hamilton County, Ohio. Analysis using geographic information systems (GIS), proximity evaluation and basic statistical techniques enables the impacts of this law to be assessed. ..more.. by Tony H. Grubesic, Indiana University, Bloomington -and- Elizabeth Mack, Indiana University, Bloomington -and- Alan T. Murray, The Ohio State University, Columbus
June 28, 2007
Geographic Exclusion: Spatial Analysis for Evaluating the Implications of Megan's Law
June 26, 2007
Reducing Housing Options for Convicted Sex Offenders: Investigating the Impact of Residency Restriction Laws Using GIS
2006:
Abstract
Sex offender registries have been established throughout the United States. To date, 16 states have adopted additional residency restriction policies, precluding registered sex offenders from living within a certain distance of places where children gather. This study quantifies the impact of residency restrictions on housing options for registered sex offenders using Orange County, Florida, as a case study. A Geographic Information System (GIS) is employed to identify all occupied residential properties using parcel-level zoning data as well as those that fall within the 1,000-foot restricted buffer zones around attractions, bus stops, daycares, parks, and schools. Results indicate that housing options for registered sex offenders within urban residential areas are limited to only 5% of potentially available parcels and that bus stop restrictions impact the amount of livable area the most, followed by daycares, schools, parks, and attractions. The limited options to establish residency exist mostly in low-density rural areas. This supports the argument that residency restrictions for sexual offenders are a strong contributing factor to their social and economic isolation. The impacts of increasing the buffer to a proposed 2,500-foot zone are discussed, and a comparison of the individual restriction categories is presented. ..more.. by Paul A. Zandbergen -and- Timothy C. Hart Volume 8, Number 2, 2006
Justice Research and Policy
