Safe haven laws as crime control theater

Hammond, Michelle; Miller, Monica K.; Griffin, Timothy

doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2009.11.006

Cited by 31 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The term crime control theater is also applicable, whereby the policy does not provide a viable solution for a real crime, but rather functions as a socially constructed answer to a socially constructed problem (Griffin & Miller, 2008;Hammond, Miller, & Grffin 2010). In essence, the policy/law is a solution looking for a problem.…”

Section: Moral Panic and Legislationmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…In essence, the policy/law is a solution looking for a problem. These types of memorialization laws, enacted to reduce a harm and bring about good, are often hypothesized to make us feel secure and protected, but may realistically incur a false sense of security, or at least a misconceived perception of the true harm (Armstrong, Miller, & Griffin, 2015;Griffin & Miller, 2008;Hammond et al 2010;.…”

Section: Moral Panic and Legislationmentioning

confidence: 98%

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“Memorialization Laws in the United Kingdom: A Response to Fear or an Increased Occurrence?”

Zgoba

2016

Am J Crim Just

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Issues of sexual abuse, predation and rape have received an increased degree of attention over the last decade and as a result have overshadowed similarly offensive crimes. Various highly publicized cases of sexual violence against women and children have gripped both the United States and the United Kingdom and have resulted in the implementation of sexual violence laws. Media coverage of an 'epidemic' of sexual violence has led some to question whether the frenzy surrounding these publicized cases has created a Bfear factor^among parents and caregivers, begging the question as to whether the incidence of sexual violence has increased or whether the heightened sensitivity is a result of increased media reporting. This article examines approximately 12 years of aggregate sexual abuse prevalence data (crimes reported to the police) in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and compared prevalence change points and sexual offense law implementation. The article then examines the possible theory of whether Sarah's Law could potentially to be a result of increased fear or a moral panic. Findings indicate sex crime rates were declining prior to the law's implementation, lending cautious support to the proposition that the genesis of Sarah's Law may have been due to fear, rather than actual increases in sexual crimes. This paper explores the potential link between fear and a sexual abuse moral panic and the fluctuations of approximately 12 years of sexual abuse prevalence data in the United Kingdom. Sexual offenses, particularly those perpetrated against children, are among the most serious and frightening crimes committed. They are considered one of the most heinous of criminal acts, with consequences for victims, families, and society as a whole. Sexual crimes represent a universal, global phenomenon and the fear they promote is not particular to any specific geographic region (McCartan, Kemshall, & Am J Crim Just

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Section: Moral Panic and Legislationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Moral Panic and Legislationmentioning

confidence: 98%

“Memorialization Laws in the United Kingdom: A Response to Fear or an Increased Occurrence?”

Zgoba

2016

Am J Crim Just

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“…Registration and community notifi cation laws, as well as other pieces of legislation that will be discussed throughout this chapter, exemplify the concept of " Crime-Control Theater " (Armstrong et al, 2015 ), which refers to policies that address societal fears about crime, but that are not necessarily based in fact or practicality. Such policies typically leave root causes of crime, or even common manifestations of crime, unaddressed, while focusing disproportionate attention on sensationalized cases (Armstrong et al, 2015 ;Hammond, Miller, & Griffi n, 2010 ). Not only are these policies largely ineffective, but they have a number of collateral consequences that may actually make the community less safe than if they were never enacted in the fi rst place.…”

Section: Registration and Community Notifi Cationmentioning

confidence: 95%

Sex Offender Policy and Prevention

Mesler

Anderson²,

Calkins

2016

Advances in Psychology and Law

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“…Roughly 0.2 percent of pregnancies are hidden from a pregnant woman's family and social network. 11 Legislators have failed to partner with at-risk women as well as subjectmatter experts, resulting in uninformed and inappropriate policy. 10 Legislators gloss over these issues to such an extent that some scholars describe safe haven laws as driven by impulsivity or "moral panic."…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…. hastily enacted" by legislators, as being of "dubious [and] empirically doubtful" efficacy, 7 and as akin to a mere "band-aid." 8 These critical assessments of safe haven laws stem from six key shortcomings:…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Unmet Needs, Unwanted Persons: A Call for Expansion of Safe Haven Laws

Bruce¹

2016

Hastings Center Report

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Legislative strategies for reducing infant abandonment and neonaticide developed in response to a series of sensational cases that occurred in Texas in 1999. The media coverage of these cases implied that the incidence of the crime was increasing, and Texas legislators responded with a law permitting parents to anonymously surrender their newborn at designated locations such as hospitals. This was the first "safe haven" law. Interest peaked nationwide, and by 2008 all states had a similar version of the law. These laws can trigger rapid cessation of parental rights and a fast-tracked adoption to a preapproved family, reflecting the legislators' assumption that it is better to permit struggling mothers to leave their children with well-intentioned strangers than to abandon the children or end their lives. These laws, however, suffer from several inadequacies.

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Safe haven laws as crime control theater

Cited by 31 publications

References 15 publications

“Memorialization Laws in the United Kingdom: A Response to Fear or an Increased Occurrence?”

“Memorialization Laws in the United Kingdom: A Response to Fear or an Increased Occurrence?”

Sex Offender Policy and Prevention

Unmet Needs, Unwanted Persons: A Call for Expansion of Safe Haven Laws

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