The Prevalence and Correlates of Depression and Hopelessness among Sex Offenders Subject to Community Notification and Residence Restriction Legislation

• Published in: American journal of criminal justice Vol. 37; no. 1; pp. 46 - 59
• Main Authors: Jeglic, Elizabeth L., Mercado, Cynthia Calkins, Levenson, Jill S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer-Verlag 01.03.2012; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Correlation analysis; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Depression (Psychology); Emotions; Hopelessness; Internet; Law and Criminology; Legislation; Mental depression; New Jersey; Offenders; Pessimism; Psychological distress; Recidivism; Residence; Restrictions; Sex crimes; Sex Offenders; Statutes; sex offender; residence restrictions; depression; community notification
• ISSN: 1066-2316; 1936-1351
• DOI: 10.1007/s12103-010-9096-9

Little research has investigated the prevalence of mood disturbance among sex offenders despite the fact that psychological distress may bear some relationship to community reintegration, and ultimately, recidivism. All offenders on New Jersey’s sex offender Internet registry were mailed surveys about their experiences with, and perceptions of, notification and residence restriction statutes, the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS). On average, respondents ( N  = 104) reported mild to moderate levels of depressive symptoms ( M BDI  = 17.1) and hopelessness ( M BHS  = 6.9). Additionally, offenders who reported being negatively affected by residence restrictions and notification statutes reported higher levels of both depression and hopelessness. Given evidence that sex offender specific legislation may de-stabilize offenders, this research highlights the importance of managing affective states in this population.