How Should Society Treat Sex Offenders: As Monsters or With Humanity?

Reviews the book, Monstrous Crimes and the Failure of Forensic Psychiatry, by John Douard and Pamela D. Schultz (see record 2013-03410-000). Monstrous Crimes addresses one of the most important topics concerning the junction of psychology and the law: the treatment of sex offenders in the legal system. With the imposition of national registries, state-enacted residency restrictions, and sexually violent predator civil commitments, we have in effect created a new category for these individuals: monstrous criminals. Unfortunately, due to the overemphasis on the philosophical and the omission of important social science research to support their claims, the authors fall short of their goal of discrediting the current system and the forensic psychiatrists most often called upon to decide a sex offender’s fate. Essential questions are posed, and ethical issues are raised, but just a beginning step is taken toward the necessary societal conversation regarding treatment of sex offenders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)