1st Edition

The Registration and Monitoring of Sex Offenders A Comparative Study

By Terry Thomas Copyright 2011
200 Pages
by Routledge

200 Pages
by Routledge

200 Pages
by Routledge

This book seeks to track the origins of sex offender registers, their purpose and the law and policy that underpins them in various parts of the world. Sex offender registers are not really registers at all but a set of ‘legal requirements’ that fall automatically on a person convicted or cautioned for a designated sexual offence; the term ‘register’ is a form of shorthand for these... Read more

1.  Introduction  2.  Registers – a source of ‘Tyranny and Intimidation’?  3. Twentieth Century Registration of the Deviant, the Dangerous and the Offender  4. Sex offender registers in the United States of America  5. The UK sex offender register  6. Registers around the World  7.  Sex Offender Registers in Progress and Cross Border Monitoring  8. Community Notification and Residence Restrictions  9. Making Sense of Sex Offender Registers  10. Conclusions

Biography

Terry Thomas is Professor of Criminal Justice Studies, Leeds Metropolitan University, and has been a long-term observer and commentator on matters relating to sex offender registration and monitoring.

'This is a timely and important book, written by a pre-eminent scholar in the field. Terry Thomas not only achieves the remarkable feat of placing sex offender registration within an historical context, but he also provides a significant global comparison of registration and its impact. This global ‘creep’ of registration and the plethora of protective measures applied to sexual offenders is analysed with a critical eye, supported with detailed evidence and an in-depth knowledge of the policy and practice context. The evidence for the efficacy of registration and protective measures is robustly tested, and the ethical and human rights perspective is an important antidote to the prevailing discourse of restriction and exclusion. The book is well written, accessible and provides an authoritative voice on the role of sexual offender registers and their contribution to public protection.' – Hazel Kemshall, Professor of Community and Criminal Justice, De Montfort University, Leicester, England

'The Registration and Monitoring of Sex Offenders provides an authoritative and comprehensive account of the management of sexual offenders on both sides of the Atlantic. As befits a text from Britain’s leading writer on the complex regulatory web now surrounding our obsession with these offenders, it is illuminating and scholarly.' Bill Hebenton, Centre for Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Manchester