Democracy and deliberation : the law and politics of sex offender legislation / Cary Federman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Federman, Cary.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sex offenders--Legal status, laws, etc--United States.

Sex offenders.

Sex and law--United States.

Sex and law.

Sex crimes--United States.

Sex crimes.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (311 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor, Michigan : University of Michigan Press, 2021.

Summary:

Sex offender laws include residency restrictions, registration and notification requirements, and post-conviction civil commitment. These laws and regulations impose serious restrictions on the movements of convicted sex offenders. This is controversial because these laws and regulations occur after the sex offender has completed his time in prison. These laws and regulations are intended to have both a deterrent and therapeutic effect. Residency restrictions seek to prevent sex offenders from re-committing their crimes and civil commitment provides psychological services while incarcerated in a forensic facility. Most works on this subject are deeply critical of these laws. Cary Federman takes a more sympathetic approach to sex offender legislation. He focuses on the deliberative intentions of legislators, exploring the limits of judicial review and the rights of interested parties to influence lawmaking. Leaders of these interested parties are usually the parents of children who have been sexually violated and murdered. Critics of sex offender legislation tend to focus on the convicted parties, arguing that their rights have been violated. The Law and Politics of Sex Offender Legislation asserts that these laws are expressions of the deliberative intentions of lawmakers concerned about public safety--they are thus constitutional, if not always wise.

Contents:

Introduction

Sex offender legislation and judicial minimalism

Confining the mentally ill and dangerous

The psychopathic offender and civil commitment

The postconviction commitment of sexual offenders

The nationalization of civil commitment

Residency restrictions and the limits of social science

Banishment, deliberation, and the meaning of punishment.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on information from the publisher.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9780472128839

0472128833

OCLC:

1237652016