Abstract
This book is an interesting and informative narrative of sex offender policy as it emerged throughout the 20th Century. The author certainly provides a very thorough discussion of distinct periods in history, and the key strength of the book is its compelling and detailed historical overview. Using a sociological lens to contextualize the social construction of sex crimes and sex offenders, the author describes a series of high-profile crimes, the media attention they received, and the ways they influenced public discourse and social policy.
The author uses these examples to illustrate the myths about sex offenders that permeate public perceptions and shape public policy. Using a vast range of criminological, sociological, and psychological research to examine disparities between the myths and the facts, Dr. Leon artfully paints a picture of good intentions gone woefully awry.
The book is well written and easy to understand. Though the book is grounded in scholarly research, the writing style allows for easy digestion of a wide array of complex data. The book is logically organized in chronological fashion as it follows the evolution of sex crime policy throughout the 1900s and into the 21st century. The author uses a mixed method of archival news research, scholarly literature review, and qualitative interviews to provide a well-orchestrated mix of social history, empirical data, and individual experience.
A primary critique of the book focuses around the weak historical analysis of contemporary policy, particularly the evolution (and controversies) of the federalization of registration and notification sex offender registration and notification (SORN) policy from the Jacob Wetterling Act to the Adam Walsh Act. Specifically, registration and notification (Megan’s Law) were originally very distinct concepts, but have become blurred as policy and technology have evolved. Empirical policy analysis and research regarding collateral consequences of SORN laws were only peripherally reviewed in the book, and should have been given more attention. On another note, I found the reference style confusing and (especially for a less-informed reader) sometimes difficult to discern original sources. The book was obviously well-researched, but some references are imprecise (e.g., the cited article is not actually the best or proper one to support the stated fact). Some sources cited in the footnotes were not in the bibliography, and many other works, especially those related to contemporary SORN policy analysis and unintended consequences, should have been cited but were not.
The weakest portion of the book by far was Chapter 6 and its inaccurate mischaracterization of sex offender evaluators and treatment providers. The author’s argument is not grounded in a comprehensive understanding of the scope and nature of the sex offender assessment and treatment field. The risk is that readers might be misled into viewing sex offender clinicians as unskilled or worse, as charlatans. The author takes pains on Page 135 to “praise and support” people who work with sex offenders but only after referring to them as “paraprofessionals.” In fact, the vast majority of outpatient sex offender treatment providers, and all forensic evaluators, have masters’ or doctorate degrees and are appropriately licensed by a state regulatory board (McGrath, Cumming, Burchard, Zeoli, and Ellerby, 2010). She refers disparagingly on Page 141 to sex offender treatment as a “quasi-profession.” In reality, most sex offender treatment providers have obtained highly specialized experience and expertise in the assessment and intervention of these challenging and sometimes dangerous individuals. Leon goes so far on Page 185 to suggest that treatment practitioners are “reaping financial…rewards from sex offender policies” that they themselves helped shape. To the contrary, most sex offender specialists are deeply disturbed by the misguided policies of the last 20 years. On a daily basis, they bear witness to the hopelessness of clients faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles to community reintegration. To imply that these specially trained professionals (who dedicate their lives to rehabilitating society’s most feared and reviled criminals) have a disingenuous or self-serving motive is a serious disservice to the field and to the community. Leon’s simplistic and misinformed presentation of actuarial and clinical sex offender assessment and treatment undermines the credibility of an otherwise informative book.
It is a bit unclear for whom this book is intended as its target audience. It is likely too dense for most lay readers, and there may or may not be a broad interest in the topic. It might be a useful supplement for students in a sociology or criminology course, but it would probably not serve as a primary textbook. It is an interesting read for professionals in fields related to sex crime, but many of them are already fairly well-versed in the literature.
In the end, Leon advocates for policies that do a better job classifying sex offenders by their relative degrees of danger, and for better discrimination between those who pose the greatest threat and those who are less likely to reoffend. She argues, correctly, that to do otherwise will facilitate an inefficient distribution of resources and overwhelm a management system that will ultimately prove to be untenable for fiscal and practical reasons. She convincingly asserts that research should play a more significant role in policy development and argues that policies incorporating empirical evidence would benefit community safety and promote successful sexual offender reintegration.