THE COSTS OF ENACTING A SEXUAL PREDATOR LAW

THE COSTS OF ENACTING A SEXUAL PREDATOR LAW

This article describes the history of special sex offender commitment legislation in the United States during the 20th century. It reviews the enactment and demise of sexual psychopath laws from the late 1930s and the enactment of contemporary sexual predator laws. The article then examines in depth...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychology, public policy, and law Vol. 4; no. 1-2; pp. 468 - 504
Main Author: La Fond, John Q
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: American Psychological Association 01-03-1998
Series:Special Theme: Sex Offenders: Scientific, Legal, and Policy Perspectives
Subjects:
Costs and Cost Analysis
Court Referrals
Involuntary Treatment
Laws
Mental Health Commitment
Perpetrators
Sex Offenses
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Summary:This article describes the history of special sex offender commitment legislation in the United States during the 20th century. It reviews the enactment and demise of sexual psychopath laws from the late 1930s and the enactment of contemporary sexual predator laws. The article then examines in depth the direct and indirect costs of enacting and implementing a sexual predator law, drawing on the experience of both Washington and California. It demonstrates that these laws will be very expensive to implement, will generate at least 3 generations of litigation, and may not be a wise expenditure of scarce public resources.
ISSN:1076-8971
1939-1528
DOI:10.1037/1076-8971.4.1-2.468