Spin doctors and moral crusaders: the moral panic behind child safety legislation

Abstract

Issues of child abduction and molestation have risen so high on social agendas that they have all but eclipsed similarly offensive crimes. Media broadcasts of a rash of child abductions, molestations and homicides have led to a nationwide moral panic concerning the safety of children. The media frenzy surrounding these publicized cases has created a 'fear factor' among parents and caregivers, begging the question as to whether the incidence of child abduction and molestation has increased or whether the nation's heightened sensitivity is a result of increased media reporting. This article explores the present climate of fear by way of five moral panic criteria developed by Goode & Ben-Yehuda. This link between the child predation moral panic and child safety legislation is explored in the context of the recently enacted Amber Alert. Similarities are demonstrated in the origin and empathy of both the Amber Alert and its predecessor, Megan's Law.

Megan's law and its impact on community re‐entry for sex offenders

“…Community notification laws were passed in response to abductions of children by strangers, but such events are extremely rare and are therefore specious cases on which to base broad public policy (Levenson, 2007;Levenson & D'Amora, 2007;Zgoba, 2004). Despite commonly held beliefs to the contrary, it is well established that the majority of convicted sex offenders are not rearrested for new sex crimes (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2003;Hanson & Bussiere, 1998;Hanson & Morton-Bourgon, 2005;Harris & Hanson, 2004) and that sex offenders reoffend at lower rates than other criminals (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2003;Sample & Bray, 2003.…”

Sex offender residence restriction laws: Parental perceptions and public policy

“…The advent of the Internet and the increased media coverage of sex offenders "means that major offenses against children, and especially unusual ones such as stranger-abductions, help assure increased attention to this type of crime" (Quinn, Forsyth, & MullenQuinn, 2004, p. 221). The result, according to Zgoba (2004), is that "the media frenzy surrounding these [highly] publicized cases has created a 'fear factor' among parents and caregivers" (p. 385). From this perspective, parents may be more supportive of "get tough" measures that target sex offenders.…”

Support for Current Sex Offender Management Policies: A National Survey of the Perceptions of Professionals

“…Examination of punishment philosophy and belief in the causes of sex offending is essential since scholars suggest the policies were passed to quell public panic over potential harm to children due to sex offenders (Maguire & Singer, 2011;Meloy et al, 2007;Zgoba, 2004) and not to rehabilitate sex offenders or ease their transition back into the community. Given this, it is not surprising that we found among community corrections professionals perceptions favoring sex offending as caused by predisposed factors showed decreased support for current sex offender management and conversely, perceptions that sex offending is caused by a lack of virtue increased support for current sex offender management policies.…”

“…Changing public opinion toward the current policies is crucial as public outcry over the perceived threat of victimization from sex offenders has been regarded as the catalyst for the passage of policies such as SORN and residence restrictions (Meloy et al, 2007;Zgoba, 2004). Despite empirical evidence showing that these policies do not have an effect on sex offender recidivism rates (Letourneau et al, 2010;), along with the results of the present study showing a lack of professional support for the policies, the public still greatly supports the policies and holds the belief that the policies do reduce the likelihood of sexual victimization (Comartin et al, 2009;Schiavone & Jeglic, 2009).…”

“…Although sex crimes are nothing new, over the last several decades the public has demanded increased protection from sex offenders as highly sensationalized cases of abduction, sexual assaults, and murder involving children have been reported in the media (Meloy, Saleh, & Wolff, 2007;Zgoba, 2004). The response to the public outcry is the enactment of various sex offender management policies resulting in a 17% increase in the known residence of sex offenders in a 5 year period from 2008 to 2013 (NCMEC, 2008; notification (SORN) and residence restrictions.…”