Deciding Where Sex Offenders Can Live

Residency restrictions create zones where sex offenders can and cannot live. Some laws are so restrictive that sex offenders become homeless, go underground or report false addresses — and thus become impossible to track.

Researchers have used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map communities to see whether sex offenders will be able to find housing, and where.  Officials have also used GIS to track registered sex offenders and determine if they are living in compliant sections of the community. Conducting a GIS analysis before a law is passed can show whether enforcing it will be feasible.

Read a short report (pdf, 2 pages) on how researchers mapped data from three states to locate registered offenders and identify restricted sites and their exclusion zones.

Highlights

Training: Collecting DNA Evidence at Property Crime Scenes — free self-paced online training at DNA.gov.
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Solicitation: National Study of Collateral Consequences for Criminal Convictions (pdf, 15 pages)
Application Deadline: February 4, 2009

Solicitation: Evaluation of a Demonstration Program: Drug Testing, Certain and Swift Sanctions, and Treatment Referral for Chronic Drug Users Under Community Supervision (pdf, 16 pages)
Application Deadline: February 4, 2009

NIJ Journal: Issue No. 261 released, cover story DNA Solves Property Crimes (But Are We Ready for That?) 

Publication: Improving Police Communications Across State and County Lines

Publication: Strategies to Prevent Prison Rape by Changing the Correctional Culture
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Workshop: Forensic Workshop for Social Scientists, December 12, 2008
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