Justice Perverted: Sex Offense Law, Psychology, and Public PolicyOver the past quarter century Congress, state legislatures and the courts have radically reshaped America's laws dealing with sex offenders in an effort to reduce the prevalence of sex offenses. Most convicted sex offenders must now register with the authorities, who then make information about them available to the public. Possession of child pornography has been made an extremely serious crime often punishable by prison sentences that dwarf those meted out to child molesters, rapists, robbers, and even killers. Federal law now imposes a minimum sentence of ten years in prison for those convicted of using the internet to attempt to lure minors for sex. And the federal government and 20 states have "sexually violent predator" laws that allow the indefinite civil commitment of convicted sex offenders to secure institutions for treatment after they have served their full criminal sentences. All of these changes in sex offender law, as well as numerous others, have been based at least in part on input from psychology, psychiatry and the social sciences. Moreover, enforcement and administration of many of these laws relies to a large extent on the efforts of mental health professionals. However, many questions about this involvement remain largely unanswered. Are these laws supported by empirical evidence, or even by well-reasoned psychological theories? Do these laws actually work? Are mental health professionals capable of reliably determining an offender's future behavior, and how best to manage it? Finally, are experts capable of providing effective treatment for sex offenders -- i.e., treatment that actually reduces the likelihood that an identified sex offender will re-offend? In Justice Perverted, Charles Patrick Ewing poses these difficult questions and others that few in either law or psychology have asked, much less tried to answer. Drawing on research from across the social and behavioral sciences, he weighs the evidence for the spectrum of sex offense laws, to occasionally surprising results. A rational look at an intensely emotional subject, Justice Perverted is an essential book for anyone interested in the science behind public practice. |
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Justice Perverted: Sex Offense Law, Psychology, and Public Policy Charles Patrick Ewing Limited preview - 2011 |
Justice Perverted: Sex Offense Law, Psychology, and Public Policy Charles Patrick Ewing Limited preview - 2011 |
Common terms and phrases
accessed Adam Walsh adult antisocial personality disorder arrested behavior child molesters child pornography offenders child sexual abuse civil commitment conduct Conradt convicted sex offenders costs criminal decoy defendant defendant’s diagnosis District engage in sexual federal courts Finkelhor girl hebephilia Hendricks Ibid images incarceration individual Internet involving Justice Kansas law enforcement legislature Megan’s Law mental abnormality mental health mental illness meta-analysis minor months notification laws offender’s Paraphilia pedophilia percent police possessing child pornography possession of child prior psychiatric psychologists punishment re-offend recidivism recidivism rates registered sex offenders registration and notification released reported researchers residency restriction risk sex crimes sex offender recidivism sex offender registration sex offender treatment sexual contact sexual offenses sexually violent predator solicitations SORNA state’s statutory rape sting operations supra note SVP civil commitment SVP laws SVP statutes U.S. Supreme Court victims violation Walsh Act Wolak