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Using Loseke to examine the influence of laws, myths, and claims making on sex
offenders socially constructed realities
#MMPMID34693300
Burgason KA
SN Soc Sci
2021[]; 1
(1
): 6
PMID34693300
show ga
The realities surrounding sex offenders in the United States can often times be
inundated with preconceived and even false certainties. A consequence of such
misleading beliefs for sex offenders can be the creation of urban legends and
myths that motivated individuals can use to back an agenda and that can bring
unintended collateral damage creating false realities for offenders, their
families, law enforcement, and the community. This study utilizes Loseke's lens
to examine the socially constructed realities in which sex offenders in the
United States are forced to live. The history of the treatment of sex offenders
is detailed from colonial America through child sexual abuse panic of the 1980s
and into the current cyber age. We review laws passed in the 1990s, through the
first part of the new millennium, which fueled individuals' fear of sex
offenders. Additionally, we explore how claims-makers use myths and socially
constructed realities to create social problems for sex offenders, generate
public fear and resentment, and pressure policy makers and legislatures to pass
laws that promise false hope and false security to communities. Finally, myths
associated with cyber sexual offenders are explored. Solutions to combat myths
are offered to legitimize the true reality surrounding sex offenders.
free
free
free
