Sex offender recidivism in the United States: why the implementation of SORNA is ineffective in reducing recidivism

Convicted sex offenders encounter some of the most difficult penalties for their crime. These penalties have a significant impact on the likelihood of recidivism. There are a number of ways that an individual can become a convicted sex offender. Under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), once an individual is convicted of a sex offense, the individual must register to a public registry that informs the neighboring public that there is a convicted sex offender living near a certain area. By registering to the public sex offender registry, citizens of the area in which the convicted sex offender resides are notified. Criminological theories may help explain why a person may be pressured to recidivate after their initial conviction. Furthermore, there are certain restrictions to where a sex offender can reside and to what type of employment a sex offender is allowed to obtain. There are also many arguments claiming that public registration is unconstitutional. Research shows that the collateral damages of the public registration of sex offenders is more harmful to an individual’s likelihood of successful reintegration. Research also shows that the collateral damages of the public sex offender registries cause the public registries to be ineffective. There are alternative ways to properly reintegrate convicted sex offenders while still keeping the public safe.M.A.Includes bibliographical reference