Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A False Sense of Security: Moral Panic Driven Sex Offender Legislation

  • Published:
Critical Criminology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Data collected from correctional files of sex offenders managed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation were analyzed to explore the degree to which sex offender behavior meets the assumptions of the legislation intended to regulate their behavior. The study asked where offenders commit their sex crimes and the likelihood of choosing a known vs. a stranger victim. The concept of moral panic is used as a framework to discuss possible motivations for current sex offender legislation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahearn, L. (2001). Megan’s law nationwide and the apple of my eye: Childhood sexual abuse prevention program. USA: Prevention Pr.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, A., & Sample, L. (2008). Public awareness and action resulting from sex offender community notification laws. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 19, 371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becker, H. (1963). Outsiders: Studies in the sociology of deviance (pp. 147–153). New York: The Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S. (1972). Folk devils and moral panics (p. 9). St Albans: Paladin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Colorado Department of Public Safety. (2004). Report on safety issues raised by living arrangements for and location of sex offenders in the community. Denver, CO.

  • Duwe, G., Donnay, W., & Tewksbury, R. (2008). Does residential proximity matter? A geographic analysis of sex offense recidivism. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 35(4), 484–504.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goode, E., & Ben-Yehuda, N. (1994). Moral panic: The social construction of deviance. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graham, R. (2006, June 3). Sex offender forced out of Island Motel. Oakland Tribune. Retrieved on July 14, 2008, from http://www.oaklandtribune.com. In R. Loving, J. Singer, & M. Maguire. (2008). Homelessness among registered sex offenders in California: The numbers, the risks and the response: CASOMB Research Report. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

  • Heir, S. (2002). Conceptualizing moral panic through a moral economy of harm. Critical Sociology, 28, 311–334.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heir, S. (2008). Thinking beyond moral panic: Risk, responsibility, and the politics of moralization. Theoretical Criminology, 12, 171–188.

    Google Scholar 

  • Letourneau, E. J., Levenson, J. S., Bandyopadhyay, D., Armstrong, K. S., & Sinha, D. (2010). Effects of South Carolina’s sex offender registration and notification policy on deterrence of adult sex crimes. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 37, 537.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levenson, J. S., Brannon, Y. N., Fortney, T., & Baker, J. (2007). Public perceptions and community protection policies. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 7(1), 137–161.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levenson, J., & Cotter, L. (2005). The impact of residence restrictions: 1, 000 feet from danger or one step from absurd. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 49(2), 168–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lovell, E. (2007). Megan’s law: Does it protect children?. London: Policy and Public Affairs, NSPCC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loving, R., Singer, J., & Maguire, M. (2008). Homelessness among registered sex offenders in California: The numbers, the risks and the response: CASOMB Research Report. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

  • McRobbie, A., & Thornton, S. (1995). Re-thinking “moral panic” for multi-mediated social worlds. British Journal of Sociology, 46, 559–574.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mercado, C., Alvarez, S., & Levenson, J. (2008). The impact of specialized sex offender legislation on community re-entry. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 20(2), 188–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Minnesota Department of Corrections. (2003). Level three sex offenders residential placement issues: Report to the legislature. MN: St. Paul.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petrunik, M., Murphy, L., & Federoff, J. (2008) American and Canadian approaches to sex offenders: A study of the politics of dangerousness. Federal Sentencing Reporter, 21(2), 111–123.

  • Prescott, J., & Rockoff, J. (2008). Do sex offender registration and notification laws affect criminal behavior? NBER Working Paper No. 13803; 3rd annual conference on empirical legal studies papers; U of Michigan Law & Economics, Olin Working Paper No. 08–006. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1100663.

  • Sample, L. (2006). An examination of the degree to which sex offenders kill. Criminal Justice Review, 31(3), 230–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sandler, J. C., Freeman, N. J., & Socia, K. M. (2008). Does a watched pot boil? A time-series analysis of New York State’s sex offender registration and notification law. Psychology, Public Policy and Law, 14, 284–302. doi:10.1037/a0013881.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tewksbury, R. (2002). Validity and utility of the Kentucky sex offender registry. Federal Probation, 66(1), 21–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tewksbury, R., & Jennings, W. G. (2010). Assessing the impact of sex offender registration and community notification on sex-offending trajectories. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 37, 570. doi:10.1177/0093854810363570201037:570.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tewksbury, R., & Lees, M. (2006). Consequences of sex offender registration: Collateral consequences and community experiences. Sociological Spectrum, 26(3), 309–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tewksbury, R., & Mustaine, E. (2008). Where registered sex offenders live: Community characteristics and proximity to possible victims. Victims and Offenders, 3(1), 86–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vásquez, B. E., Maddan, S., & Walker, J. T. (2008). The influence of sex offender registration and notification laws in the United States. Crime & Delinquency, 54, 175–192. doi:10.1177/0011128707311641.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, J., Golden, J., & VanHouten, A. (2001). The geographical link between sex offenders and potential victims: A routine activities approach. Justice Research and Policy, 3(2), 15–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zandbergen, P. A., Levenson, J. S., & Hart, T. C. (2010). Residential proximity to schools and daycares: An empirical analysis of sex offense recidivism. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 37, 482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zevitz, R. G. (2006). Sex offender community notification: Its role in recidivism and offender reintegration. Criminal Justice Studies, 19(2), 193–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Criminal Justice, California State University Sacramento, 6000 J St., Sacramento, CA, 95619, USA

    Mary Maguire & Jennie Kaufman Singer

Authors
  1. Mary Maguire
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jennie Kaufman Singer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mary Maguire.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Maguire, M., Singer, J.K. A False Sense of Security: Moral Panic Driven Sex Offender Legislation. Crit Crim 19, 301–312 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-010-9127-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-010-9127-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation