This book seeks to provide the first serious and detailed narrative of the conception and implementation of the sex offender registers. It seeks to do so in a clear and easy to follow text that will be both informed and critical. It will also serve as a resource book for those wanting to make further study of the process of registration and monitoring.

The 1990s witnessed a flurry of legislative initiatives—most notably, “Megan’s Law”—designed to control a population of sex offenders (child abusers) widely reviled as sick, evil, and incurable. In Sex Offenders, Stigma, and Social Control, Diana Rickard provides the reader with an in-depth view of six such men, exploring how they manage to cope with their highly stigmatized role as social outcasts. The six men discussed in the book are typical convicted sex offenders—neither serial pedophiles nor individuals convicted of the type of brutal act that looms large in public perceptions about sex crimes. Sex Offenders, Stigma, and Social Control explores how these individuals, who have been cast as social pariahs, construct their sense of self. How does being labeled in this way and controlled by measures such as Megan’s Law affect one’s identity and sense of social being? Unlike traditional criminological and psychological studies of this population, this book frames their experiences in concepts of both deviance and identity, asking how men so highly stigmatized cope with the most extreme form of social marginality. Placing their stories within the context of the current culture of mass incarceration and zero-tolerance, Rickard provides a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between public policy and lived experience, as well as an understanding of the social challenges faced by this population, whose re-integration into society is far from simple or assured. Sex Offenders, Stigma, and Social Control makes a significant contribution to our understanding of sex offenders, offering a unique window into how individuals make meaning out of their experiences and present a viable—not monstrous—social self to themselves and others.

This book explores current criminal justice responses to the management of individuals who are convicted of sexual offences. It aims to help policy-makers, practitioners and students to develop an informed position on this complex and increasingly controversial issue. Although the focus is primarily upon the UK context, contributions from North America (USA and Canada) provide an important comparative perspective.

This handbook combines the latest theory on a high-profile, complex subject in criminology, exploring the legal and ethical dimensions of society’s response to sex offenders in jurisdictions from the USA to Japan. The first publication to offer a detailed and wide-ranging analysis of legal and ethical issues relating to sex offender treatment and management Covers a range of related issues, from media coverage to equality duties Presents research from numerous national jurisdictions including the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Norway, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, and Israel Includes perspectives from respected leading academics and practitioners, including William Marshall, Tony Ward, Doug Boer, Daniel Wilcox, and Marnie Rice

This article discusses the effects of Wisconsin's community notification statute that authorizes officials to alert residents about the release and reintegration of sex offenders in their communities.

This report details the harm public registration laws cause for youth sex offenders. The laws, which can apply for decades or even a lifetime and are layered on top of time in prison or juvenile detention, require placing offenders' personal information on online registries, often making them targets for harassment, humiliation, and even violence. The laws also severely restrict where, and with whom, youth sex offenders may live, work, attend school, or even spend time.