NCJ Number
175902
Editor(s)
M James
Date Published
1997
Length
87 pages
Annotation
These 10 papers constitute a cross-section of the papers delivered at a conference on pedophilia prevention and policy issues held at the University of Sydney (Australia) on April 14 and 15, 1997.
Abstract
The conference was attended by academics, health and welfare professionals, lawyers, policymakers, police, and representatives of Commonwealth, State, and local government agencies. The aim of the conference was to explore various interpretations of pedophilia, to provide a forum for professionals from all relevant disciplines, to inform their practice, and to generate ideas that could also inform policy. Papers presented at the conference, 10 of which are included in this book, covered detection and reporting; investigation, prosecution, and defense; public education; treating offenders; and implications for civil liberties. One paper profiles pedophilia in Australia as the public health problem of the decade; it examines the nature of pedophilia and the characteristics of pedophiles, its causes, and how society has and should respond to this illness. A second paper explores opinion, policy, and practice in child sexual abuse and implications for detection and reporting. This is followed by a law enforcement perspective on the detection and reporting of child sexual abuse. Papers on the legal aspects of dealing with pedophilia focus on problems in the prosecution of pedophiles, the defense of alleged pedophiles, and the role of the courts. Other papers consider the role of public education in addressing pedophilia, risk-management measures for adolescent sexual offending, the treatment of pedophiles, and the implications of sex offender registration for privacy laws. References accompany the papers.