Coming Soon!
From Rage to Reason
Why We Need Sex Crime Laws Based on Facts, Not Fear
by Emily Horowitz
June 2023, 234pp, 6 1/8x9 1/4
1 volume, Praeger

Hardcover: 978-1-4408-7939-5
$65, £50, 57€, A90
Available for purchase 30 days prior to publication.
eBook Available: 978-1-4408-7940-1
Please contact your preferred eBook vendor for pricing.

Research shows that despite myths saying otherwise, sexual recidivism is low.

Analyzing sex offense laws and false claims, this book shows that laws based on vengeance rather than justice or evidence create new forms of harm while failing to address the real and pervasive problem of sexual violence.

In this timely and extensively researched book, sociologist Emily Horowitz shows how current sex offense policies in the United States create new forms of harm and prevent those who have caused harm from the process of constructive repentance or contributing to society after punishment. Horowitz also illustrates the failure of criminal justice responses to social problems. Sharing detailed narratives from the experiences of those on registries and their loved ones, Horowitz reveals the social impact and cycle of violence that results from dehumanizing and banishing those who have already been held accountable.

From Rage to Reason offers a new perspective on how and why false claims about sex offenses became so pervasive and how these myths fostered ineffective policies that have little to do with the reality of most sexual abuse. It argues that to truly prevent sexual abuse, we must unearth the sources of these misunderstandings, debunk these claims in a systematic way, and have frank and genuine discussions about the limits of legal responses to complex social problems.

Features

  • Analyzes the human impact of retributive justice
  • Assesses the indirect harm caused by sex offense policies
  • Offers new insight into the lived experiences of those convicted of sex offenses
  • Considers how sex offense laws and regulations create new forms of violence
  • Critiques the extent to which social problems can be addressed via the criminal justice system
Emily Horowitz, PhD, is professor of sociology and criminal justice at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, NY. At St. Francis, she founded and co-directs a program that offers scholarships and mentorship so that those with criminal histories can earn college degrees. Her book Protecting Our Kids? How Sex Offender Laws Are Failing Us is a Choice Outstanding Academic Title, and she serves on the boards of a number of organizations that advocate for rational and just sex offense policies.
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