Neighborhood Disadvantage and the Geographic Distribution of Registered Sex Offender Concentration: Another Dimension of Racial Inequality?

Abstract Registered sex offenders are often concentrated in disadvantaged neighborhoods, which has consequences for their reintegration in society. We extend previous research by directly examining the extent to which a central neighborhood characteristic (i.e., concentrated disadvantage) is similarly related to the concentration of both Black- and White-registered sex offenders. East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana serves as our case study. We use a regression approach to examine the relationship between tract-level neighborhood disadvantage and the concentration of registered sex offenders in the parish (i.e., county). A coefficient comparison test suggests that the relationship between neighborhood disadvantage and the concentration of registered sex offenders is stronger among Black-registered sex offenders than it is among White-registered sex offenders. We find no such distinction when examining another dimension of stratification within this population, namely recidivism status (i.e., a comparison between first-time and repeat offenders). Results suggest race remains a central axis of stratification, even within this uniquely residentially constrained group. We contribute to a growing literature on registered sex offenders and scholarship that examines racialized residential outcomes. The advantages and disadvantages associated with neighborhood context are unevenly linked to the Black- and White-registered sex offenders of East Baton Rouge, LA. Public officials will need to keep this backdrop of racial inequality in mind when developing interventions related to residential context and reintegration.