Sex Offender Laws, Second Edition: Failed Policies, New Directions

Praise for the First Edition:

Sex Offender Laws . . . is a good source for [a] balanced, objective, and thorough critique of our current sex offender policies as well as a source for accurate information about a very heterogeneous population. . . . The message that sexual abuse is often a multifaceted and complex issue and that policy based on quick fixes or knee jerk reactions does not often work will be informative and enlightening to many readers.

óSex Roles

[T]his fine book by Richard Wright and his distinguished collaborators provides the evidence that wise policy makers would want to consider. It covers every major field of research concerning sex offenders and sexual offenses and provides evidence of bad practices and policies. Intellectually honest politicians should read this book."

óMichael Tonry, LLB, Professor of Law and Public Policy,
University of Minnesota Law School (from the Foreword)

The most comprehensive book available about sex offender policies and their efficacy, Sex Offender Laws has been widely embraced as a text for courses in criminal justice, social work, and psychology. Now updated to keep pace with rapidly changing laws and policies, this second edition features an increased emphasis on policy and program alternatives. It incorporates new content on high-profile issues affecting adolescent sex offenders, critical analyses of the results of recent studies on sex offender policies, effective approaches in preventing recidivism, and cutting-edge research in the fields of criminal justice, law, forensic psychology, and social work. The second edition continues to document and assess the full gamut of laws designed to respond to and prevent sexual violence.

The majority of sex offender policiesóoften developed as "quick fixes" in response to high-profile casesóare not based on empirical evidence, nor have they demonstrated any significant reduction in offender recidivism. This new edition showcases alternative models that offer innovative and victim-centered approaches to combating sexual violence. Expert authors explore critical, controversial topics such as sexting, Internet sexual solicitation, the death penalty, mandatory sentencing, statutory rape, age of consent laws, and community responses. The book examines the political "untouchability" of sex offender laws and their adverse effects; despite their popularity, sex offender laws have largely failed to keep people safe and actually promote an inaccurate sense of vulnerability. The text also analyzes the role of the media and presents a new chapter on Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner programs. Expert contributors include Karen Terry, author of Sexual Offenses and Offenders, and others who bring a wealth of insight to the field of sex offense.

New to the Second Edition:

• Emphasizes policy and program alternatives to currently ineffective policies
• Provides new content on the criminalization of adolescent sexuality
• Analyzes the role of the media in sex offense and sex offense policies
• Critically discusses state implementation of the 2006 Adam Walsh Act
• Introduces new policy alternatives including environmental criminology and its use toward sexual violence prevention and the increasing use of civil litigation in sexual assault cases
• Examines the political "untouchability" of sex offender laws and their adverse affects and unintended consequences

Richard G. Wright is a nationally known expert on the issue of sexual offender laws. He has been a practitioner, researcher, scholar, public speaker and teacher on issues of sexual offending, federal crime control, racial inequality, and domestic violence for twenty years.