Misperceptions About People Who Have Sexually Offended and Support of Community Notification for Juveniles Among Koreans

Abstract

The implementation of community notification for juveniles who have sexually offended (JSOs) is controversial because it does not protect juvenile offenders’ privacy, an essential objective of the juvenile justice system. Researchers have indicated that community notification does not significantly reduce recidivism among JSOs. Instead, notification leads to stigmatization, social isolation, and school problems for JSOs. Consequently, it is critical to explore the factors driving public support for community notification for JSOs. Scholars argue that public support of notification is attributed to misperceptions about people who have sexually offended (PSOs). However, studies exploring a direct association between misperceptions about PSOs and the support of community notification for JSOs in non-Western contexts are scarce. This study analyzed data from 2322 survey respondents in South Korea, finding that a majority (75%) supported community notifications for JSOs. More importantly, a regression analysis revealed three significant misperceptions among Korean citizens that correlate with support for community notification regarding JSOs: the belief that PSOs are likely to reoffend, suffer from mental illness, and spontaneously commit offenses without premeditation. Therefore, these findings underscore the necessity of educating both citizens and policymakers to eradicate these misperceptions, suggesting that the use of notification for JSOs should be reconsidered in South Korea and other countries.