The Oxford handbook of sex offenses and sex offenders

In: The Oxford handbooks in criminology and criminal justice

In: Oxford handbooks online

Abstract

There has been a significant increase in the focus on sex offending in recent years. This has occurred in both the academic and the public spheres. In attempting to understand sexual offending, this collection recognizes two different discourses that currently operate in relation to sex crime. At the public level there is an explicit focus on regulation and control. At the same time there has been a less public but equally fervent discourse centered on the importance of the assessment and treatment of sexual offenders. The Handbook moves from theoretical explanations to a dissection of who the offenders are, who the victims are, and how offenders are treated and managed; it then proceeds onward, using a sociological lens to examine the social and cultural contexts in which crimes and sexual activities take place.