Sex Offenders and Interoperability in E-Government: A Qualitative Analysis of SORNA Compliance in Florida and Texas
Ballintine, Llonae Popley; Luna, Denryl; Perez, Monique; Bishop, Ervin; Kilgour, Lauren. (2016) Sex Offenders and Interoperability in E-Government: A Qualitative Analysis of SORNA Compliance in Florida and Texas. In iConference 2016 Proceedings. http://hdl.handle.net/2142/89398
Research Advisor: Lauren Kilgour, School of Computing and Information; University of Pittsburgh
This study shares preliminary findings from an analysis of U.S. sex offender databases, specifically Texas and Florida. A content and discourse analysis of the federal standards set forth in the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), as well as Florida and Texas penal codes and sex offender standards was performed to understand terminology, risk assessment policies, and registration requirements for offenders. Despite a difference in compliance status, Florida and Texas employed similar standards and data entry requirements in web-based registration databases. This study found that SORNA standards positively influenced data uniformity and interoperability between Florida and Texas sex offender databases and the National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW). This research is of broad significance to information science, as it centrally grapples with larger questions about information access, information policy, and information systems and design.
Presented at iConference 2016