Separating the Men from the Boys: Masculinity, Psychosexual Development, and Sex Crime in the United States, 1930s-1960s

The Impact of Sex Offender Policies on Victims

“…As a result, the first modern wave of legislative action against sex offenders was foreseeably directed at a class of offenders that would harm these real victims (Lieb, Quinsey, & Berliner, 1998). The first wave of action against sex offenders was prompted by the rape and murder of two girls, 4 and 8 years old, respectively, in the late 1930s (Robertson, 2001). A moral panic about sex offenders was touched off by the intense attention these crimes received from the media and politicians.…”

“…After these two high-profile sex crimes against children, popular, nonscientific magazines began to run stories about sex crimes and their victims, and people with little to no exposure to information about sexual criminals were now able to read about them regularly (Robertson, 2001).…”

“…A second moral panic was touched off in 1949 when two girls, this time 6 and 7 years old, were raped and murdered (Robertson, 2001). The perception of a wave of sexual crimes prompted officials to seek out advice from psychiatric experts.…”

“…The perception of a wave of sexual crimes prompted officials to seek out advice from psychiatric experts. Robertson (2001) noted the role of the media and politicians in the furor around sex crimes:…”

“Kids Not Rights, is Their Craving”: Sex Education, Gay Rights, and the Threat of Gay Teachers

“…By the close of the nineteenth century, young men and boys were being warned of predatory older males who would use them sexually. Increasingly newspapers situated older sexual predators as likely culprits in sex crimes (Robertson 2001). London's 1889 Cleveland Street scandal had revealed the existence of a brothel employing messenger boys, frequented by upper class gentlemen (Maynard 1997).…”