Sex Offender Registration and Notification Policies: Summary and Assessment of Research on Claimed Impacts on Registered Offenders (2020)

This research brief summarizes the Federal Research Division’s (FRD) review and assessment of literature on the potential impacts of sex offender registration and notification policies (SORN) on adult and juvenile registered sex offenders (RSOs). We provide a summary of research findings and a critical analysis of methodologies underlying those findings in five main subject areas: SORN effects on RSO employment and finances; RSO perceptions of SORN; SORN effects on RSO emotional and physical well-being; SORN impacts to families of RSOs; and SORN impacts to juvenile RSOs. A sixth subject area, impacts to RSO housing from SORN and residency restrictions, is addressed in a separate brief.