Are online Sex Offender registries and notification needed in order to protect society, or are they more harmful than beneficial?
“…the public definition of behaviour as deviant is itself changeable. It is open to reversals of political power, twists of public opinion, and the development of social movements and moral crusades” (Gusfield, 1972: 72).
What we as a society consider to be deviant changes over time, and is dependant on such factors as social, economic, and cultural values. Bhurgra (2000), defines deviance as “…behaviour that contravenes the norms of society” (67). When looking specifically to the notion of sexual deviance, it must be noted that the categorization of certain acts as paraphilic is a product of Western culture, as the view of these activities as deviant is not a universal phenomenon. For instance, in Papua New Guinea
It is obvious that it is not only how define sexual deviance changes over time in place, but also how we choose to react. In the early nineteen-nineties, several high profile cases have brought this issue to the forefront of the public consciousness. Christopher Stephenson, Megan Kanka, Kristen French, Leslie Mahaffy, and Polly Klaas; all highly publicized cases of child sexual homicides committed by strangers. The fact that this is a relatively rare occurrence, and not indicative of the norm in terms of sexual crimes did not prevent what some consider the emergence of a moral panic (Petrunik, 2003a; 2003b). As a result, new legislation was enacted both in the United States and Canada, focusing on the management on these individuals and the protection of the public.
These high profile cases represent the extreme, yet they are instrumental in determining how the public conceptualizes the ‘Sex Offender’. As a result, these rare incidents provoke public outrage and media attention (Critcher, 2002), and yet the more common incidences of intra-familial family abuse are relatively ignored. These high profile cases are even used as justification for new legislation, such as registration and community notification, which are then made requirements for all Sex Offenders (Petrunik, 2003a; 2003b).
Although put in place with the best of intentions, the question still remains; are these new registration and notification laws preventing sexual victimization, or can they in fact cause further harm? Outlined on this website is the history behind how these new bits of legislation came about in both Canada and the United States, along with the response and concerns of various groups and individuals. Furthermore, examples of how registration and notification are carried out in different States and Canada, is mentioned, along with some problems that are evident with the various models. Finally, my research materials, along with other information can be found in the Resources section.
But that's not it- the reason way I chose to create a website instead of writing a standard paper is to both inform the public as to the reality of the situation pertaining to Sex Offender registration and notification, and get an idea of the public's opinion on this issue. So please, after reading the content of this website, sign my guestbook and let me know what you think of this situation, and whether or not the information presented on this website has at all changed your opinion. Furthermore, if you wish to engage in respectful debate, I have included a message board.
Thanks for your time- and I hope that what is presented here will help you begin to think critically on this issue.
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