Prevention or problem

Abstract

This paper was prepared by the Safer Society Foundation, Inc., regarding the issue of public notification of convicted sexual offenders' release to the community. It does not represent the views or opinions of any other organization or group, professional or otherwise. The Safer Society advocates for community safety, victim restitution and treatment, and quality comprehensive sexual offender treatment. While the Safer Society supports adult sexual offender registration laws in general, it is totally opposed to public notification laws. Presently, 47 states have sexual offender registration laws, 30 states have sexual offenderpublic notification laws, and 15 states have laws allowing indefinite civil commitment of sexual offenders to state mental institutions. This document is designed to assist states considering public notification, or states that have enacted such laws, and to explore related issues and the impact of public notification on the greater community, including citizens, families, victims, and offenders. Numbers preceding the following points do not indicate relative importance, but are used for ease of reference.