Abstract

As previous research has indicated, it is not a common societal norm that sex offenders generally have a negative connotation associated with them. These types of perceptions are held without considering the varying types of sexual offenders and sexual offenses. The legislation concerning sex offenders is broad, and therefore encompasses a lot of different offenses and people. Notification of these types of offenders varies by state, but all states require sex offenders to register. A number of colleges also require sex offenders to register before attending classes. This research focuses on student's perception of sex offenders on college campuses. That is, it questions how a student's awareness of sex offender legislation and presence affect their attitudes and perceptions about sex offenders. This thesis was intended to research the UCF student's awareness of sex offenders (legislation and presence) in relation how it effects their perception of sex offenders. Students were surveyed and asked questions based on their knowledge, awareness, and opinion of sex offenders in general and at the college level. Results collected suggested that informing students does make them more aware of sex offenders. However, the heightened awareness does not improve the negative perception student's held about sex offenders. After conducting the study, it is my hope that it will aid in better understanding student perceptions of sex offenders in terms of how effective notification and awareness are.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

2013

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Donley, Amy

Degree

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

College

College of Sciences

Degree Program

Sociology

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Sciences; Sciences -- Dissertations, Academic

Format

PDF

Identifier

CFH0004470

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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Included in

Sociology Commons

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