Sexual Offender Laws and the Labeling Theory

1393 Words3 Pages

Many people might think that sex offenders are repugnant to society and that people who commit sex crimes should be removed from our society. The reality is that many people do not know that most people who commit sex offenses are normal people. In most cases, they are hardworking people who got caught doing something our society ‘thinks’ is wrong and get labelled sex offenders. This is where Labeling Theory comes into places, because it focus on social and institutional responses to an individual. The book PERVERTS and PREDATORS: The Making of Sexual Offending Laws talks about the emerging of Perverts and Predators, and which types of people society labels “Pervert and Predators.”
This essay will discuss the many different types of sex offenses that are considering a crime. It will then talk about some of the historical sexual offenders laws that have shaped society as a whole. It will also define the role religion plays on the emergence of new Sex offender’s laws that we have in contemporary societies. And finally talk about the emergence of some currents sex offenses laws we have in our nation.
Before moving far we must understand the meaning of a pervert and a predator. According to the online dictionary the term sexual predator is used to describe a “person seen as obtaining or trying to obtain sexual contact with another person in a metaphorically ‘predatory’ manner.” A pervert is defined as “a person whose sexual behavior is regarded as abnormal and unacceptable.”
SEX OFFENSES THAT ARE CONSIDERING A CRIME
“Sex offending is a somewhat unique crime, as it directly deals with one of society’s most taboo topics-sex and sexuality” ( Zilney & Zilney, 2009, p. iii).
Many of us people had participated in some type of sexual activi...

... middle of paper ...

...lney, L. A. (2009). The Role of Religion. Perverts and predators: the making of sexual offending laws (p. 1-4). Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield.

Zilney, L. J., & Zilney, L. A. (2009). Historical Sexual Offending Laws. Perverts and predators: the making of sexual offending laws (p. 61-62). Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield.

Zilney, L. J., & Zilney, L. A. (2009). A War on Sexual Offending Laws. Perverts and predators: the making of sexual offending laws (p. 66-74). Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield.

Zilney, L. J., & Zilney, L. A. (2009). The Role of Religion. Perverts and predators: the making of sexual offending laws (p. 1). Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield.

Zilney, L. J., & Zilney, L. A. (2009). The Case of Megan Kanka. Perverts and predators: the making of sexual offending laws (p. 86-91). Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield.

In Class Theories, Crim 130.

More about Sexual Offender Laws and the Labeling Theory

Open Document