In this essay I will evaluate the current laws and legislation that have been put in place by the criminal justice system in response to sex offenders. I will briefly define what a sex offender is, what causes people to become one, and how the government has attempted to prevent sex offenders from reoffending. I will also discuss how the media portrays sex offenders and how they are presented to the public. I will also discuss in detail the research on public attitudes towards sex offenders and, finally, assess how the criminal justice system responds to them. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'?Get the original essayThe Oxford Dictionary defines a 'sex offender' as: 'a person who has been convicted of illegal sexual acts'. A sex offender is a person who has committed a sex crime, an act prohibited by law. What constitutes a sexual offense or normal and abnormal sexual behavior varies by time and place. What is considered a sex offender changes depending on legal jurisdiction and culture around the world. The age of consent around the word ranges from 9 to 21 years old. This means that in some countries around the world sexual activity is illegal and in others it is legal. Most people convicted of sexual offenses did not violate a law containing a sexual category. The majority of crimes most likely to result in individuals being classified as sex offenders are known as second-time prostitution convictions. Examples include adult-teen relationships, internet grooming, sexual harassment, sending text messages to and from minors, etc. It was recorded that there were 53,665 sexual offenses in England and Wales in 2011/12, or 1% of all police officers. recorded crime. At the end of 2012, police recorded 53,700 sexual offenses in England and Wales. There were 16,000 cases of rape and 22,100 sexual assaults, representing 71% of sexual offenses reported by police. In 2011, 1,500 offenders were incarcerated and admitted to committing a sexual offense. However, the change in recorded statistics depends on whether the victim feels comfortable enough to report sex crimes to the police. For example, the number of recorded sexual offenses decreased by 17% between 2005-2006 and 2008-2009, as well as between 2010-2011. This latest increase may be due to increased police reassurance and encouragement for victims to come forward and improved police records, rather than an increase in the level of victimization. In some situations, it is very difficult to distinguish the similarities between non-sexual offenders and true sex offenders. Many sex offenders are believed to have many abnormal sexual fantasies about children and young adults as well as very high sex drives. People generally believe that the majority of sex crimes are committed by strangers, but the majority of victims know their attacker. Most sex offenders do not suffer from mental illness, as this article shows, less than 5% of individuals who commit sex crimes suffer from a psychotic mental illness. Since the dawn of time, numerous articles, books, journal articles and more have been published. who attempted to explain why people become sex offenders and commit sex crimes. “Given that sexual deviance takes many forms,no single theory can suffice to account for all aspects. » Research has led to two main explanations for why people commit sexual offenses. Biological theories (also known as evolutionary theory) of sexual offending focus on abnormalities. in the construction of the brain, chromosomal and genetic constitution, hormonal level and deficits in intellectual functioning. Studies examining the relationship between sex offenders and hormonal abnormalities have typically focused on the role of certain hormones (e.g., testosterone) known to be linked to physical changes in men. To date, these studies have found no evidence of a clear link between hormone levels and sexual offending. The second theory is social learning theory. This theory believes that people are exposed to and learn certain things in their lives, which leads them to believe that it is the right way to live. This theory focuses primarily on childhood experiences, particularly within the family, either through being victimized by an adult within or near one's family or through exposure to pornography at a young age. This could then lead to a feeling of insecurity and make them want to be the one in power rather than the one being taken advantage of. Becoming a victim of a sex offender can have many psychological and traumatic effects. The media and public only notice two types of crimes: sexual offenses against children or women. In recent years, many countries have begun to change their laws regarding sex offenders. The criminal justice system strengthens laws and legislation and modifies sanctions because society considers it too lenient. The media is known to be one of the most powerful sources of information for the general public. It is also known to strongly affect open perception of explicit issues, for example sex offenders. For a story to make it to the media, it must reach a certain “newsworthy” scale that helps media companies attract a wider audience, thereby increasing their profits. Child sex offenders continually receive enormous negative media coverage, sparking public debate. The media typically uses strategies and tactics in the form of trigger words and images to influence how society perceives specific criminals. The words used to describe Equan Yunus are an example of this. Yunus was labeled a sex offender in New York for kidnapping a 14-year-old boy, even though no sex crime was committed. The headline read "There's Been a Lot of Shame": Meet the Sex Offender 'Who Isn't a Sex Offender'. Even though this is a repeat offender case, it shows how society can view anyone involved in sex crimes as 100% guilty before the court says so. Today, the growing awareness and knowledge about sex offenders has created strong emotion. social reaction, resulting in increasing media coverage. Gakhal and Brown report how newspapers portrayed a child sex offender as “evil monsters.” This was a radical change from how they were presented before and gave society a new way of looking at a serious issue that was brought to light. Most types of media report in different ways; some use stereotypes as a powerful tool of influence, others are more objective in presenting the facts of the case. All these events neverthelesshad a positive effect in that they raised new issues facing society. The media also influences the way the public thinks and feels about the victim. In some situations, the public would show the victim that they are on their side. This is usually done through social media platforms or, in some situations, through protection. The media influences how the public feels, which then affects how the victim copes with their traumatic time. Criminal justice now has the responsibility to meet the needs of the public and the victim. The media amplifies the fear and deviance of society, which turns into “moral panic”. This then led to reactionary and extreme political and legal responses. The criminal justice system must respond to how the media portrays sex offenders and how they are perceived. They face many difficulties in responding to the stigma formed against them and must develop programs, legislations and laws in order to protect the public and the sex offenders themselves. A significant difficulty faced by the criminal justice system in responding to sex offenders is how they should respond to victims of sex offenders. Improving the experience of crime vitamins in the criminal justice process is a major government priority. The government emphasizes that survivors and victims have unique needs characterized by their gender, their victimization, their relationship with the offender and with their community, as well as their own personal characteristics. The government believes that the effect of victimization is deep-rooted and, for some people, life-changing. If the experience of victims of the criminal justice system is to be improved, there needs to be a better understanding of the effects of exploitation and the need to treat survivors of wrongdoing with kindness, sympathy, composure and affection. Steady progress must be made to highlight problems, expand data administration and help victims of wrongdoing, but it is not fast enough for some. Perspectives regarding the needs of victims are evolving within the police, legitimate actors (Crown, protection and judge) and other framework authorities. Regardless, survivors of wrongdoing's mindsets about their needs are also changing. They do not recognize being excluded from key choices and kept in the dark, but they expect greater accountability and more investment in criminal justice. Before the Criminal Justice Act 1991, legislation and laws relating to sexual offenses were outdated. They followed the previous sex offender law known as the 'Sexual Offenses Act 1956'. In the 20th century, society's fear of sex offenders reached the scale of a global pandemic. Society often considers anyone who commits a sexual offense to be a high-risk sex offender. The next law on sex offenders was the 'Sex Offenders Act 1997'. This legislation made it much easier to identify and deal with sex offenders, as was previously the case. Every sex offender had to register their name and address with the police who protect and manage the public. The legislation was primarily intended to reduce risk within the community and thus each sex offender could be monitored for a period of up to 5 years. In 1998, the Crime and Disturbance Act prevented "the expansion of post-release supervision of..