What is it about?
This literature review article considers laws that require teenagers who are convicted of sex offenses to register as sex offenders. It examines whether these the threat of being put on a registry discourages adolescents from engaging in sexual behaviors that are common among youth but illegal. Sex offender registry laws are often intended to protect youth, but they can negatively affect young people’s lives, sometimes permanently. It’s vital to know if the laws cause unintended harm.
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Why is it important?
This article reviews research that challenges the idea that requiring teens to register as sex offenders clearly reduces future offenses. Drawing on psychology and criminology, the authors also question whether registration acts as a deterrent for adolescents to prevent them from offending in the first place. The work urges reconsideration of policies that could cause lifelong stigma. By clarifying what does and doesn’t work, this review emphasizes the need for more effective approaches to juvenile justice.
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Adolescent sex offender registration policy: Perspectives on general deterrence potential from criminology and developmental psychology., Psychology Public Policy and Law, February 2016, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/law0000059.
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