Sex Offender Laws

Few crimes inspire more outrage than sex crimes, especially against children, and few criminals are more reviled than sex offenders. Sex offender laws that curtail the rights of convicted offenders rarely engender much sympathy from the public. Yet others argue that this lack of compassion toward these types of offenders is precisely why these laws should be subject to greater scrutiny. There is, no [Page 905]doubt, a desire on the part of the public to provide security for children against would-be child molesters and to make sure that these predators cannot harm innocent kids. But how far society goes in the name of security may be a measure of its ultimate commitment to individual rights and liberties. This essay traces the background of sex offender ...