Campaigning for change: How state-level groups advocate for legislative sexual offense reform

Authors

Jennifer L. Wooldridge, University of Texas-Tyler
Danielle J. S. Bailey, University of Texas-Tyler
Stephanie Taulli, University of Texas-Tyler

Abstract

"In the criminal justice field, advocacy groups work to better the circumstances for specific groups of people facing perceived injustice. While some advocacy groups have been studied extensively, one type of group – sexual offense reform advocates – has been understudied. This is particularly problematic due to stigmatization and legislative differences in how individuals convicted of sex crimes are supervised compared those convicted of non-sexual offenses. These post-conviction differences make it necessary to better understand these advocacy groups and their processes when fighting for public policy change. The current study examines qualitative interviews conducted with affiliates of a national organization that supports sex offense policy reform. Using a content analysis approach, the research sought to understand how the advocates began their advocacy efforts, the type and level of training relating to public policy reform, and the participants’ experiences interacting with lawmakers. Finally, recommendations are made to help better train membership through inexpensive means given the volunteer and non-profit status of many of these groups including training manuals and the use of legal interns."

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Wooldridge, Jennifer L.; Bailey, Danielle J. S.; and Taulli, Stephanie (2025) "Campaigning for change: How state-level groups advocate for legislative sexual offense reform," Qualitative Criminology (QC): Vol. 14: No. 2, Article 4.
Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/qc/vol14/iss2/4