Title

Attitudes About Rehabilitating Sex Offenders: Demographic, Victimization, And Community-Level Influences

Abstract

In this study, attention was given to how demographic, victimization, and community-level factors contribute to the belief that sex offenders can be rehabilitated. A survey was conducted with 746 residents of Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Virginia. A vast majority of the sample thought it was impossible to rehabilitate sex offenders, and a sizeable proportion of respondents indicated that they did not know whether sex offenders could be rehabilitated. Results showed that very few factors predicted attitudes about rehabilitating sex offenders. The implications call for expanded efforts to educate the public about sex offenders, as well as strategies for strengthening support for rehabilitation. In particular, it is argued that more attention should be given to identifying the punitive aspects of rehabilitation and increasing awareness about treatment strategies among policymakers. The authors also call for reconceptualizing rehabilitation so the concept is driven by practical matters rather than politics. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.

Publication Date

7-1-2010

Publication Title

Journal of Criminal Justice

Volume

38

Issue

4

Number of Pages

580-588

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2010.04.029

Socpus ID

77954758417 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/77954758417

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