Sex fiends, perverts, and pedophiles
Subtitle: understanding sex crime policy in America
By: Chrysanthi S. Leon
Publisher: New York University Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 253
ISBN-13: 9780814752586; 9780814753262; 9780814753132
Subjects: Sex crimes; Child molesters; Sex offenders
Description: From sex fiend laws to Jessica's Law, every state regularly passes popular tough-on-crime legislation, often written after highly-publicized cases have made the gruesome rounds through the media. Chrysanthi Leon shows that, while the singular notion of the sexual bogeyman has been used to justify these harsh policies, not all sex offenders are the same and such 'one size fits all' policies are well-intentioned but badly implemented. Leon argues for much-needed changes to the criminal justice system, ultimately showing that when policies intended for the worst offenders take over, all of us suffer.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Punishment stories; title: The sexual psychopath era (1930-1955); title: The era of rehabilatative debate : 1950-1980; title: Sex offender rehabilitation in California from 1950-1980 : how it worked; title: The old and the new : sex offender policy in the containment era, 1980-present; title: Experts and governance : shifting politics and disappearing strategies; title: Chilling effects; title: National sex offender punishment trends since 1920.