Sex offender registration and notification act with adolescents adjudicated for illegal sexual behavior: a therapeutic jurisprudence perspective

Apryl Alexander; John Michael Falligant; Cory Marchi; Erica Floding; Marissa Jennings

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1160922

Sex offender registration and notification act with adolescents adjudicated for illegal sexual behavior: a therapeutic jurisprudence perspective

Front Psychiatry. 2023 Apr 25:14:1160922. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1160922. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Apryl Alexander¹, John Michael Falligant^{2

3}, Cory Marchi⁴, Erica Floding⁴, Marissa Jennings⁴

Affiliations

¹ University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States.
² Johns Hopkins Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States.
³ Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States.
⁴ University of Denver, Denver, CO, United States.

Abstract

Adolescents adjudicated for illegal sexual behavior (AISB) are subjected to the same Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) policies as adults with sexual offense histories despite current research documenting their relatively low likelihood of recidivism. Therapeutic jurisprudence is a framework which suggests the law should value psychological well-being and strive to avoid imposing anti-therapeutic consequences. The purpose of this article is to analyze the use of SORNA policies with AISB from a therapeutic jurisprudence perspective. Given the current literature documenting the collateral consequences of SORNA on AISB and their families and the lack of efficacy in reducing recidivism, we argue SORNA should not be applied to children and adolescents. We conclude with a discussion of future directions for the juvenile justice system and public policy reform.

Keywords: juvenile deliquency; policy; registry; sexual offending; therapeutic jurisprudence.