The Illinois Sex Offenses and Sex Offender Registration Task Force completed an exhaustive study published in December 2017, which concluded that registries and residency restrictions do not protect anyone.
Regarding registration and public notification, the report says “most studies find no reduction in sexual recidivism as a result of sex offender registration and notification.”
On the topic of residency restrictions, the report says “research has shown residency restrictions neither lead to reductions in sexual crime or recidivism, nor do they act as a deterrent.”
The report notes that registries and residency restrictions make it difficult for former offenders to find jobs, housing and to participate in the community. All of those factors are important in preventing re-offense.
The executive director of the Illinois Criminal Justice Authority labeled registries “counter-productive.”
The report identified a “desistance threshhold” as a guideline for when someone should no longer be listed on a registry. The threshhold is 10 years of offense-free living in the community.
While Nebraskans Unafraid favors abolishing all counter-productive registries, it should be noted that the Illinois report demonstrates that no one should be on a registry for more than 10 years.