Textbook Questions for Chapter 9 (answer these questions throughly in a paragraph per question)

Reference: Mallicoat Gardiner (2014). Criminal Justice Policy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications

1. There is a great deal of controversy surrounding civil commitment laws. Explain the controversy.
2. How do sex offender recidivism rates and patterns compare to criminals convicted of nonsexual offenses?
3. Describe the similarities and differences between the Jacob Wetterling Act, Megan's Law, and the Pam Lychner Act.

C. First Journal Article and Assigned Questions: (answer these questions throughly in a paragraph per question)

Criminal Justice Arelow The Effects of Sex Offender (2 1010 Georgia Seven University Reprince and permision Registration and Notification on sarspub.com/journalaPermision ray DOi: 10.1 177/0734016805360130 hopolar sagepub.com Judicial Decisions OSAGE Elizabeth J. Letourneau, ' Jill S. Levenson," Dipankar Bandyopadhyay,' Kevin S. Armstrong,' and Debajyoti Sinha* Abstract This study examined whether South Carolina's sex offender registration and notification (SORN) pol- cy was associated with changes in judicial decision making concerning adult sex crime cases. Out- comes pertained to reduced charges (e.g. sex to nonsex crimes) and final case dispositions. Statewide crime data from 1 990 to 2004 corresponded with three time periods of interest the 5 years immediately preceding enactment of SORN (Year Group I; 1990-1994). the first 4 years of SORN implementation (Year Group 2; 1995-1998), and the subsequent 6 years of SORN implementation, which included Internet notification (Year Group 3; 1999-2004). Univariate and generalized estimat- ing equations methods were used to model patterns of charging and disposition decisions with respect to year groups. Results indicated that defendants were more likely to have charges reduced from sex to nonsex crimes over time, with a 9% predicted probability of reduced charges in Year Group I, a 15% predicted probability in Year Group 2 (corresponding with initial implementation of SORN), and a 19% predicted probability in Year Group 3 (corresponding with Internet noufica- tion). Results also indicated that the probability of a guilty disposition changed at each year group, with a predicted probability in Year Group I of 55%, increasing to 65% in Year Group 2, and then declining to 60% in Year Group 3. This final decline was more pronounced when pleaded cases were removed from analyses. South Carolina's SORN policy shares several characteristics with the federal Adam Walsh Act (AWA). Thus, both state and national policy implications of these findings are discussed. Keywords sex offender registration, public notification Introduction During the past several decades, federal and state crime control policies have focused increasingly on the "small but precise target" presented by sex offenders (Simon Leon, 2008, p. 750). Within a 'Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, USA Lynn University, Boca Raton, FL, USA Florida State University, Tallahassee, USA Corresponding Author: Elizabeth J. Letourneau, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA. Email: letoure @musceduCriminal Justice Review Volume 30. Number 2 September 2008 158-173 0 2005 Georgia State University Research Foundation, Inc. Recidivism Rates of hitpower sapepub com Sexual Offenders hosted at hop Aonline.sagepob com up to 7 Years Later Does Treatment Matter? Kristen M. Zgoba New Jersey Department of Corrections Leonore M. J. Simon East Tennessee State University This article critically reviews the evidence on sex offender treatment and subsequently provides new estimates on short-term recidivism among sexual offenders released from prison in New Jersey. The sample of male sex offenders is drawn from the Adult Diagnostic Treatment Center (ADTC), New Jersey's only sex-offender-specific prison, and the general population of nine prisons within the state of New Jersey. The ADTC sample receives treatment while incarcerated (n = 495), whereas no treatment is provided to the offenders in the general population sample (n =223). Overall, 33% of the total sample (NV=718) commits a new offense. Of the total sample, 14% commits a new sexual offense and 24% commits a new nonsexual offense. Significant dif- ferences exist between the ADTC and the general population samples with respect to nonsexual reoffending only. In the final analysis, treatment appears to matter in terms of a reduction in recidivism but not in conventionally expected ways. Keywords: sexual offense; treatment and recidivism uring the 1990s, states implemented a variety of policies that applied to sexual offend- ers, including community registration, notification, and civil commitment (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 1999; La Fond, 2005; Lalumiere, Harris, Quinsey, Rice, 2005; Matson Lieb, 1997; Prentky Burgess, 2000; Winick La Fond, 2003). Although these policies varied in their designs, their primary goal was risk reduction, protecting the public from sexual offenders. Treatment programs for sexual offenders, in concert, focus on building impulse control capacities to effectively manage these behaviors and, by doing so, reduce the risk of reoffending (Comwell, Jacobi, Witt, 1999). For this reason, the social value of offender treatment programs is determined by a single outcome: the offender's level Author's Note: This study was funded by the New Jersey Department of Corrections. The authors would like to thank Commissioner Devon Brown, Dr. Douglas Gerardi, Mr. Donald Van Nostrand, Dr. Bonita Veysey, Ms. Susan Estwan, and Dr. Travis Pratt for their invaluable contributions and support. Additionally, many thanks to the anonymous reviewers. 155