RESEARCH ARTICLE IMPLICATIONS OF RESIDENCE RESTRICTIONS ON SEX OFFENDER HOUSING The policy implications of residence restrictions on sex offender housing in Upstate NY Kelly M. Socia University at Albany, SUNY A cross the country, state and local legislatures have enacted residence restriction laws against convicted sex offenders in response to fears involving the sexual victimization of children (Walker, 2007; Yung, 2007). These laws attempt to restrict the interactions between convicted sex offenders and children, with the expectation being that this tactic will lead to reduced sexual recidivism and victimization. To accomplish this goal, residence restrictions prohibit convicted sex offenders from living within a certain distance, typically between 500 and 2,500 feet (see Meloy, Miller, and Curtis, 2008; Nieto and Jung, 2006), of specific places where children congregate (i.e., the scope of the restriction). Although both state and local restrictions commonly include schools and daycares in their scope, they also might include areas such as parks, playgrounds, churches, pools, bike trails, fairgrounds, malls, and even bus stops (Meloy et al., 2008). In effect, these restrictions create buffer zones of a given size around the child congregation locations defined in the restriction’s scope. Sex offenders subject to such restrictions are prohibited from living on property that is either fully or partially within a buffer zone. As such, this policy can limit the ability of sex offenders to find housing either Although not a comprehensive list, the author gratefully acknowledges the helpful comments and critiques of Drs. Alan Lizotte, Steven F. Messner, Greg Pogarsky, and Richard Tewksbury; three anonymous reviewers; and especially Dr. Janet Stamatel. Unfortunately, the author is responsible for any and all errors. Direct correspondence to Kelly M. Socia, Draper Hall, School of Criminal Justice, University at Albany, SUNY, 135 Western Avenue, Albany, NY 12222 (e-mail: ksocia@gmail.com). DOI:10.1111/j.1745-9133.2011.00713.x C  2011 American Society of Criminology 351 Criminology & Public Policy  Volume 10  Issue 2