Setting Some Boundaries: Rethinking Responses to Sex Offenders (From Sex Offenders in the Community: Managing and Reducing the Risks, P 1-28, 2003, Amanda Matravers, ed., -- See NCJ-204789)

• NCJ Number: 204790
• Author(s): Amanda Matravers
• Date Published: 2003
• Length: 28 pages
• Sale Source: Willan Publishing
• Publication Format: Book (Hardbound)
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter discusses changing the way sex offenders are perceived and how to deal with them.

Abstract

Current policy responses to sex offenders both reflect and shape a view that is a product of this culture and time. These responses reveal the concerns and anxieties that preoccupy the public, and are open to change. An examination of empirical evidence for a distinct and severe approach to sex offending suggests that sex offending is not increasing, nor that the majority of serious offenders serve lenient sentences. Sociological explanations are offered for the exceptionally punitive response to sex offenders. These explanations relate changing conceptions of sex offenders to the wider social context, and in particular to social and economic developments that have fostered feelings of insecurity and mistrust. Legislation during the 1990's reflected and shaped a view of sex offenders as violent predators that represent a constant threat to public safety. The most recent legislation is assessed for evidence of a shift in the way sex offenders are conceptualized. Although there is little sign of major change, some of the policies reveal a renewal of interest in the balance between the rights of victims and offenders; and a concern with an extended range of problems and potential solutions. Responsible legal strategies need to be accompanied by public information campaigns in order to counter understandable public fears and sensational media reporting. The government needs to resist popular pressure and generate more imaginative solutions to the problem of community protection. Sentencing policy is a key aspect of government responsibility in this area. “Special” sentences should be used sparingly. Government rhetoric and resources should be directed towards the support of community strategies including reintegration and treatment as well as assessment and tracking. Government needs to invest in cost-effective and protective measures based on what is known rather than what is feared about sex offenders. 21 notes, 48 references