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Sex Offender Residency Restrictions,
Jan 01 2009
Sex offenders, as a group, incite the public's fear and hatred, and politicians seeking to curry electorate favor often support increasingly harsh sanctions against these "political pariahs of our day." Most recently, in an attempt to keep communities safe, at least twenty two states and hundreds of local municipalities have placed severe restrictions on where sex offenders may live after being released from prison. These restrictions typically exclude sex offenders from living within 1000 to 2500 feet of schools, parks, day care centers, and other areas where children congregate.
However, research indicates that these fear-driven laws are ill-advised policy choices based on faulty reasoning. They aggravate recidivism risk factors, and hence may actually make communities less safe.
;
Sex offenders, as a group, incite the public's fear and hatred, and politicians seeking to curry electorate favor often support increasingly harsh sanctions against these "political pariahs of our day." Most recently, in an attempt to keep communities safe, at least twenty two states and hundreds of local municipalities have placed severe restrictions on where sex offenders may live after being released from prison. These restrictions typically exclude sex offenders from living within 1000 to 2500 feet of schools, parks, day care centers, and other areas where children congregate.
However, research indicates that these fear-driven laws are ill-advised policy choices based on faulty reasoning. They aggravate recidivism risk factors, and hence may actually make communities less safe.
The roots of 'paedophobia',
Oct 27 2006
A new report, Freedom's Orphans, shows that adults are afraid to challenge children. But its proposed solutions would make matters worse.
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A new report, Freedom's Orphans, shows that adults are afraid to challenge children. But its proposed solutions would make matters worse.
The Alleged Child Victim and Real Victims of Sexual Misuse
Conclusions
The real victims of sexual abuse of children include all of us, because the system we have set up to eliminate abuse of children may be doing more damage than good.
Children may be harmed by the intervention.
Families, including extended family members, may be destroyed.
Grandparents may never see their grandchildren again.
Occupations that involve work with children become suspect: Teachers, preachers, boy scout leaders, big brothers, athletic coaches, day care workers, counselors, mental health professionals, and others are watched suspiciously by a society that asks why they choose to work with children.
Lonely people learn quickly to avoid all friendly actions toward children (Weinbach 1987).
Men learn that in spite of twenty years of rhetoric telling them they can have feelings and be gentle, if they are affectionate with children they can go to prison.
[...]
It must be possible for all who are concerned with reducing the abuse of children to agree cognitively that increasing the accuracy of the process is both desirable and attainable. There is more credible and reliable information now than a few years ago. It is possible now to assert [...]that there is a general consensus in the scientific community about some basic facts. Potentially this information can be used to develop a more accurate and reliable way to make decisions about child sexual abuse which will result in greater protection of abused children and less harm to innocent persons.
;
Conclusions
The real victims of sexual abuse of children include all of us, because the system we have set up to eliminate abuse of children may be doing more damage than good.
Children may be harmed by the intervention.
Families, including extended family members, may be destroyed.
Grandparents may never see their grandchildren again.
Occupations that involve work with children become suspect: Teachers, preachers, boy scout leaders, big brothers, athletic coaches, day care workers, counselors, mental health professionals, and others are watched suspiciously by a society that asks why they choose to work with children.
Lonely people learn quickly to avoid all friendly actions toward children (Weinbach 1987).
Men learn that in spite of twenty years of rhetoric telling them they can have feelings and be gentle, if they are affectionate with children they can go to prison.
[...]
It must be possible for all who are concerned with reducing the abuse of children to agree cognitively that increasing the accuracy of the process is both desirable and attainable. There is more credible and reliable information now than a few years ago. It is possible now to assert [...]that there is a general consensus in the scientific community about some basic facts. Potentially this information can be used to develop a more accurate and reliable way to make decisions about child sexual abuse which will result in greater protection of abused children and less harm to innocent persons.
The Vilification of Sex Offenders: Do Laws Targeting Sex Offenders Increase Recidivism and Sexual Violence?;
Journal of Sexual Offender Civil Commitment: Science and the Law;
1, 141-149
Sex offenders are universally hated and despised and seen as dangerous sexual predators unless locked up and kept under surveillance. Following a number of highly publicized violent crimes, all states passed registration and notification laws and many passed civil commitment laws. Although these laws were passed as a means to decrease recidivism and promote public safety, the resulting stigmatization of sex offenders is likely to result in disruption of their relationships, loss of or difficulties finding jobs, difficulties finding housing, and decreased psychological well-being, all factors that could increase their risk of recidivism.
The civil commitment programs amount to expensive preventive detention and incapacitation rather than treatment; very few have been released. The high costs of the civil commitment programs divert resources from other programs with a better chance of being effective in reducing sexual violence.
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Sex offenders are universally hated and despised and seen as dangerous sexual predators unless locked up and kept under surveillance. Following a number of highly publicized violent crimes, all states passed registration and notification laws and many passed civil commitment laws. Although these laws were passed as a means to decrease recidivism and promote public safety, the resulting stigmatization of sex offenders is likely to result in disruption of their relationships, loss of or difficulties finding jobs, difficulties finding housing, and decreased psychological well-being, all factors that could increase their risk of recidivism.
The civil commitment programs amount to expensive preventive detention and incapacitation rather than treatment; very few have been released. The high costs of the civil commitment programs divert resources from other programs with a better chance of being effective in reducing sexual violence.
The Effects of Child Sexual Abuse: Truth Versus Political Correctness;
IPT Journal, 2006;
16,
ABSTRACT: Research over many years establishes the negative effects of child sexual abuse are not as pervasive, severe, and long-lasting as generally assumed. But rather than being seen by victims' advocates as good news, such research results are met with resistance, anger, and personal attacks. This controversy reached its height in 1999 when the media, conservative organizations, and the United States Congress condemned a 1998 meta-analysis in the Psychological Bulletin by Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman. The American Psychological Association's response to the furor was to distance itself from the article and its authors. This episode demonstrates the difficulty of doing and reporting research where conclusions contradict strongly held beliefs.
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ABSTRACT: Research over many years establishes the negative effects of child sexual abuse are not as pervasive, severe, and long-lasting as generally assumed. But rather than being seen by victims' advocates as good news, such research results are met with resistance, anger, and personal attacks. This controversy reached its height in 1999 when the media, conservative organizations, and the United States Congress condemned a 1998 meta-analysis in the Psychological Bulletin by Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman. The American Psychological Association's response to the furor was to distance itself from the article and its authors. This episode demonstrates the difficulty of doing and reporting research where conclusions contradict strongly held beliefs.
Minotaur Unveiled: The Truncated Account of Adult-Child Erotic Attraction;
Essays on Law, Policy and Psychiatry;
5,
Minotaur Unveiled: The Truncated Account of Adult-Child Erotic Attraction (Essays on Law, Policy and Psychiatry, Vol. 5) — 2019 Apple Books Edition — is a historical assessment of adult-child sexual relations as they are to be found not only in historical and forensic literature, but also in the poetic writings of many famous authors around the world. [...]
The study establishes a basis for the view that adult-child sexual interaction is a universal phenomenon that passes over cultural and epochal borders. [...]
Sadly, many of those adult-child sexual relations were and are the result of social and moral corruption and have to be called abusive and exploitative.
The article gives links to the PDF edition and the paperback edition of the book.
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Minotaur Unveiled: The Truncated Account of Adult-Child Erotic Attraction (Essays on Law, Policy and Psychiatry, Vol. 5) — 2019 Apple Books Edition — is a historical assessment of adult-child sexual relations as they are to be found not only in historical and forensic literature, but also in the poetic writings of many famous authors around the world. [...]
The study establishes a basis for the view that adult-child sexual interaction is a universal phenomenon that passes over cultural and epochal borders. [...]
Sadly, many of those adult-child sexual relations were and are the result of social and moral corruption and have to be called abusive and exploitative.
The article gives links to the PDF edition and the paperback edition of the book.
The Commercial Exploitation of Abuse - A Study on Policy;
Essays on Law, Policy and Psychiatry;
8,
‘The Commercial Exploitation of Abuse: A Study on Policy (Essays on Law, Policy and Psychiatry, Vol. 8)’ is an essay about what the author calls the ‘abuse-centered culture,’ which is obviously a culture that puts people behind bars for love, when only focusing on certain ways how bodies are touched, fondled or otherwise erotically stimulated, when those bodies belong to a group of people legally defined as ‘children.’
Intro to a book in a pdf edition and a printed edition.
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‘The Commercial Exploitation of Abuse: A Study on Policy (Essays on Law, Policy and Psychiatry, Vol. 8)’ is an essay about what the author calls the ‘abuse-centered culture,’ which is obviously a culture that puts people behind bars for love, when only focusing on certain ways how bodies are touched, fondled or otherwise erotically stimulated, when those bodies belong to a group of people legally defined as ‘children.’
Intro to a book in a pdf edition and a printed edition.
Pedophilia Revisited;
Essays on Law, Policy and Psychiatry;
7,
Pedophilia Revisited: The Making of a Crime for Justifying Lacking Social Policy (Essays on Law, Policy and Psychiatry, Vol. 7) — 2019 Apple Books Edition — is an extended study on the controversial subject of pedophilia, the sexual love of adults for children — humans who by legal definition are to be considered a ‘child’ for the purposes of criminal law.
This form of love, also called ‘child-love’ by those who feel sexually attracted to children, can be exclusive or non-exclusive, but the author’s research clearly points to the fact that pedophile attraction is not inborn, just as homosexual attraction is not inborn, but a conditioned response.
The article gives links to the PDF edition and the paperback edition of the book.
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Pedophilia Revisited: The Making of a Crime for Justifying Lacking Social Policy (Essays on Law, Policy and Psychiatry, Vol. 7) — 2019 Apple Books Edition — is an extended study on the controversial subject of pedophilia, the sexual love of adults for children — humans who by legal definition are to be considered a ‘child’ for the purposes of criminal law.
This form of love, also called ‘child-love’ by those who feel sexually attracted to children, can be exclusive or non-exclusive, but the author’s research clearly points to the fact that pedophile attraction is not inborn, just as homosexual attraction is not inborn, but a conditioned response.
The article gives links to the PDF edition and the paperback edition of the book.
Love or Laws: When Law Punishes Life;
Essays on Law, Policy and Psychiatry;
4,
Love or Laws: When Law Punishes Life (Essays on Law, Policy and Psychiatry, Vol. 4, 2018) is a study on so-called ‘sex laws’ or age-of-consent laws. The study takes a critical point of departure and attempts to demonstrate that ages of consent are rather arbitrary legal instruments for so-called child protection. In fact, they are ineffective and do not protect children effectively against sexual abuse. [...]
The essays sets out to propose an altogether different solution: a love reform instead of a law reform, which means a different way of looking at the problem.
[...] With links to PDF and paper edition of the book
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Love or Laws: When Law Punishes Life (Essays on Law, Policy and Psychiatry, Vol. 4, 2018) is a study on so-called ‘sex laws’ or age-of-consent laws. The study takes a critical point of departure and attempts to demonstrate that ages of consent are rather arbitrary legal instruments for so-called child protection. In fact, they are ineffective and do not protect children effectively against sexual abuse. [...]
The essays sets out to propose an altogether different solution: a love reform instead of a law reform, which means a different way of looking at the problem.
[...] With links to PDF and paper edition of the book
The Roots of Violence;
Essays on Law, Policy and Psychiatry, Vol. 10;
10,
‘The Roots of Violence: Why Humans Are Not By Nature Violent’ (Essays on Law, Policy and Psychiatry, Vol. 10, 2018) is an analytical and policy study that presents abundant evidence that human beings are not by nature violent and that violence therefore is a conditioned response. The scientific disciplines examined are anthropology, biology, neurology, pedagogy, psychoanalysis, and sociology.
The book shows the historical development of the roots of violence as they sprang forth from the patriarchal murder cultures that were putting an end to the peaceful matriarchal empires such as the Minoan Civilization in Crete.
[...]
Based on the research being on the table, the author draws policy conclusions for the prevention of violence both in the social and the educational domain.
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‘The Roots of Violence: Why Humans Are Not By Nature Violent’ (Essays on Law, Policy and Psychiatry, Vol. 10, 2018) is an analytical and policy study that presents abundant evidence that human beings are not by nature violent and that violence therefore is a conditioned response. The scientific disciplines examined are anthropology, biology, neurology, pedagogy, psychoanalysis, and sociology.
The book shows the historical development of the roots of violence as they sprang forth from the patriarchal murder cultures that were putting an end to the peaceful matriarchal empires such as the Minoan Civilization in Crete.
[...]
Based on the research being on the table, the author draws policy conclusions for the prevention of violence both in the social and the educational domain.
The Legal Split in Child Protection - Overcoming the Double Standard;
Essays on Law, Policy and Psychiatry;
9,
The Legal Split in Child Protection: Overcoming the Double Standard (Essays on Law, Policy and Psychiatry, Vol. 9) - 2019 Apple Books Edition - is a study that attempts to redefine child protection, and goes as far as formulating a new paradigm of child protection that is healed of the legal split that pervades it until now. The study explains that the laws for protecting the child against abuse are following a fundamental split in social mores and statutory regulation of physical violence against children, on one hand, and sexual relationships with children, on the other.
Links to the book in PDF Format and the paperback edition are given.
;
The Legal Split in Child Protection: Overcoming the Double Standard (Essays on Law, Policy and Psychiatry, Vol. 9) - 2019 Apple Books Edition - is a study that attempts to redefine child protection, and goes as far as formulating a new paradigm of child protection that is healed of the legal split that pervades it until now. The study explains that the laws for protecting the child against abuse are following a fundamental split in social mores and statutory regulation of physical violence against children, on one hand, and sexual relationships with children, on the other.
Links to the book in PDF Format and the paperback edition are given.
Shota: Japanese 'boylove' vs. Western subculture,
Mar 14 2006
I was poking around on Wiki and thought it was really interesting how different the entries were for Shotacon or Shota in the Japanese Wikipedia and the English Wiki.
Most people in Western countries who know the word know it as it applies to explicit manga focusing on boys, which by now is far from uncommon even on the English-speaking Internet. But what most don't know is that Shota is also used in today's Japan to describe sexual attraction to boys in general. Not only that, but it is probably the more embraced term nowadays than shounen-ai (which literally means "boy-love").
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I was poking around on Wiki and thought it was really interesting how different the entries were for Shotacon or Shota in the Japanese Wikipedia and the English Wiki.
Most people in Western countries who know the word know it as it applies to explicit manga focusing on boys, which by now is far from uncommon even on the English-speaking Internet. But what most don't know is that Shota is also used in today's Japan to describe sexual attraction to boys in general. Not only that, but it is probably the more embraced term nowadays than shounen-ai (which literally means "boy-love").
Finkelhor's precondition model of child sexual abuse: a critique;
Psygology, Crame & Law;
7, 291 - 307
This paper critically discusses an extremely influential multi-factorial theory of child molestation, Finkelhor’s Precondition Model. This model was one of the first comprehensive theories of the sexual abuse of children and represents a significant achievement. It provides a clear framework for approaching the study of men who have sexually abused children and has lead to both clear treatment goals and clinical innovations. It has rarely, however, been systematically critically examined and the cogency of its core constructs evaluated.
Our analysis suggests that alongside its strengths, Finkelhor’s Precondition Model has some conceptual problems. It suffers from vagueness; contains overlapping constructs; and a rich array of vulnerability factors that require teasing out and clarification.
The model’s attempts to provide a taxonomy highlight the diversity inherent in child sexual abuse, but it has not yet provided a structure to adequately inform treatment.
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This paper critically discusses an extremely influential multi-factorial theory of child molestation, Finkelhor’s Precondition Model. This model was one of the first comprehensive theories of the sexual abuse of children and represents a significant achievement. It provides a clear framework for approaching the study of men who have sexually abused children and has lead to both clear treatment goals and clinical innovations. It has rarely, however, been systematically critically examined and the cogency of its core constructs evaluated.
Our analysis suggests that alongside its strengths, Finkelhor’s Precondition Model has some conceptual problems. It suffers from vagueness; contains overlapping constructs; and a rich array of vulnerability factors that require teasing out and clarification.
The model’s attempts to provide a taxonomy highlight the diversity inherent in child sexual abuse, but it has not yet provided a structure to adequately inform treatment.
The Myth of Lost Innocence;
A New York Times Blog,
Jan 29 2009
At a journalism conference a couple of years ago, I met Linda Perlstein, the author of “Not Much Just Chillin’: The Hidden Lives of Middle Schoolers.” This meeting occurred right in the middle of the “rainbow party” craze – that is to say, the media frenzy around the alleged oral activities of oversexed (and lipsticked) tweens.[...]
I found myself thinking about Perlstein’s media follies this week, when I read Tara Parker-Pope’s article “The Myth of Rampant Teenage Promiscuity” in Science Times on Tuesday. For me it not only raised the issue of myth and reality (teens are, in truth, having sex less and later than they did a decade or two ago), but also brought to mind the stories that we tell and what people are willing to hear. [...]
Certain kinds of children have certain kinds of vulnerabilities that make them particularly susceptible to the toxic elements of our culture. This is true of those who do or don’t fall victim to stress and anxiety, and it’s true of those who do or don’t engage in too-early, too-risky sex. Certain kinds of policies can help children. (Abstinence-only sexual education clearly does not help in combating teen pregnancy.)
Certain kinds of parenting can help or hurt, too.
;
At a journalism conference a couple of years ago, I met Linda Perlstein, the author of “Not Much Just Chillin’: The Hidden Lives of Middle Schoolers.” This meeting occurred right in the middle of the “rainbow party” craze – that is to say, the media frenzy around the alleged oral activities of oversexed (and lipsticked) tweens.[...]
I found myself thinking about Perlstein’s media follies this week, when I read Tara Parker-Pope’s article “The Myth of Rampant Teenage Promiscuity” in Science Times on Tuesday. For me it not only raised the issue of myth and reality (teens are, in truth, having sex less and later than they did a decade or two ago), but also brought to mind the stories that we tell and what people are willing to hear. [...]
Certain kinds of children have certain kinds of vulnerabilities that make them particularly susceptible to the toxic elements of our culture. This is true of those who do or don’t fall victim to stress and anxiety, and it’s true of those who do or don’t engage in too-early, too-risky sex. Certain kinds of policies can help children. (Abstinence-only sexual education clearly does not help in combating teen pregnancy.)
Certain kinds of parenting can help or hurt, too.
Is It OK To Automatically Hate Sex Offenders?,
Dec 24 2016
[...] Clinically speaking, there are five primary categories of sexual offenders, delineated below, with some groups more likely to reoffend than others. [
[...]
Other factors that may hinder successful treatment and increase the odds of reoffending include: [...]
Unfortunately, we do not have official statistics on what percentage of sexual offenders fall into each of the five primary typologies. However, clinical experience and the small amount of available research strongly suggest that in today’s world, where the internet is “creating” all sorts of sexual offenders, most of whom never come into contact with the legal system, there are many more situational and/or sexually addicted offenders than violent and fixated/dedicated child offenders.
As such, and this has always been the case, the majority of sexual offenders are likely to respond positively to informed treatment, and relatively unlikely to reoffend.
;
[...] Clinically speaking, there are five primary categories of sexual offenders, delineated below, with some groups more likely to reoffend than others. [
[...]
Other factors that may hinder successful treatment and increase the odds of reoffending include: [...]
Unfortunately, we do not have official statistics on what percentage of sexual offenders fall into each of the five primary typologies. However, clinical experience and the small amount of available research strongly suggest that in today’s world, where the internet is “creating” all sorts of sexual offenders, most of whom never come into contact with the legal system, there are many more situational and/or sexually addicted offenders than violent and fixated/dedicated child offenders.
As such, and this has always been the case, the majority of sexual offenders are likely to respond positively to informed treatment, and relatively unlikely to reoffend.
Protect The Children,
Jul 29 1999
Speech In The House Of Representatives, Thursday, July 29, 1999, condemning the Rind c.s. research reports.
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Speech In The House Of Representatives, Thursday, July 29, 1999, condemning the Rind c.s. research reports.
The sex crime situation : Deteroration more apparent than real?;
European Journal of Criminal Policy and Research;
8, 399-422
Public concern about an escalation of sex crime is unsupported by a critical analysis of official crime statistics in England and Wales. Assumptions about the inveterate recidivism of sex offenders are unconfirmed by follow-up studies. A great variety of behaviours is covered by sex crime, from the grave to the trivial. To the traditional offences of predatory aggressors, violent rapists and a small number of dangerous offenders driven by pathological emotions, are now added date rapes and harassment previously little reported. All sex incidents involving children are widely believed to cause lasting harm, despite evidence to the contrary. Female offenders and boy victims are receiving more attention. Adolescent involvement is insufficiently distinguished from paedophile offences and male homosexuals are suspected of paedophile tendencies. the development of constructive therapeutic approaches is impeded by doubts about efficiency and a punitive ethos. [A]
;
Public concern about an escalation of sex crime is unsupported by a critical analysis of official crime statistics in England and Wales. Assumptions about the inveterate recidivism of sex offenders are unconfirmed by follow-up studies. A great variety of behaviours is covered by sex crime, from the grave to the trivial. To the traditional offences of predatory aggressors, violent rapists and a small number of dangerous offenders driven by pathological emotions, are now added date rapes and harassment previously little reported. All sex incidents involving children are widely believed to cause lasting harm, despite evidence to the contrary. Female offenders and boy victims are receiving more attention. Adolescent involvement is insufficiently distinguished from paedophile offences and male homosexuals are suspected of paedophile tendencies. the development of constructive therapeutic approaches is impeded by doubts about efficiency and a punitive ethos. [A]
A Prospective Examination of Whether Childhood Sexual Abuse Predicts Subsequent Sexual Offending;
JAMA Pediatrics;
January 5, 2015, ,
Jan 05 2015
Conclusions:
This study represents a long-term and comprehensive assessment of the extent to which sexually abused children become sex offenders and compares them to physically abused and neglected and nonmaltreated children. These findings show that physically abused and neglected children are at increased risk for being arrested for sex crimes and should receive effective interventions to avert these negative consequences. These results do not provide support for the common belief that being a survivor of childhood sexual abuse carries with it a unique increase in the risk for becoming a sex offender, contrary to some public policies and administrative practices of some jurisdictions where children may be stigmatized, placed in restrictive settings, or barred from schools. Perhaps it is time for a Government Accountability Office report or Institute of Medicine panel study to reevaluate public policies and treatment efforts that have been implemented based on common assumptions.
;
Conclusions:
This study represents a long-term and comprehensive assessment of the extent to which sexually abused children become sex offenders and compares them to physically abused and neglected and nonmaltreated children. These findings show that physically abused and neglected children are at increased risk for being arrested for sex crimes and should receive effective interventions to avert these negative consequences. These results do not provide support for the common belief that being a survivor of childhood sexual abuse carries with it a unique increase in the risk for becoming a sex offender, contrary to some public policies and administrative practices of some jurisdictions where children may be stigmatized, placed in restrictive settings, or barred from schools. Perhaps it is time for a Government Accountability Office report or Institute of Medicine panel study to reevaluate public policies and treatment efforts that have been implemented based on common assumptions.
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child - History
Information about the way the Declaration of Children's rights was developed and accepted by the UN.
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Information about the way the Declaration of Children's rights was developed and accepted by the UN.
Pederasty - encyclopedia entry
Encyclopedia entry from Wikipedia.
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Encyclopedia entry from Wikipedia.
Will "revolutionary" Diana Screen End Pedophile Menace?
Anxious to mend its reputation and plug the money drain, the Vatican just announced a new fix: Candidates for the priesthood will undergo psychological screening to determine their suitability for the job. Painting a pseudo-scientific veneer on the campaign, the Vatican said "expert" psychologists will screen select candidates on a case-by-case basis.
Gene Abel is a psychiatrist who invented the controversial Abel Screen, which measures sexual proclivities based on how long men look at visual images of different types of models. Abel is promoting a new "pass/fail" test called the Diana Screen as a "breakthrough in technology" that can accurately identify men who have molested children.
In the blogosphere I bumped into a group of sex offenders discussing how easy it is to beat the test.
The author finds a false positive rate of at least 50 percent. Even if it is just a screening test, psychologists should be cautious in administering a test with such a high false-positive rate and no published, peer-reviewed data on its reliability or validity.
More fundamentally, this type of testing raises philosophical issues about how far society should go in the name of protecting children, especially when most victimization is done not by teachers or amusement park workers but by family members.
;
Anxious to mend its reputation and plug the money drain, the Vatican just announced a new fix: Candidates for the priesthood will undergo psychological screening to determine their suitability for the job. Painting a pseudo-scientific veneer on the campaign, the Vatican said "expert" psychologists will screen select candidates on a case-by-case basis.
Gene Abel is a psychiatrist who invented the controversial Abel Screen, which measures sexual proclivities based on how long men look at visual images of different types of models. Abel is promoting a new "pass/fail" test called the Diana Screen as a "breakthrough in technology" that can accurately identify men who have molested children.
In the blogosphere I bumped into a group of sex offenders discussing how easy it is to beat the test.
The author finds a false positive rate of at least 50 percent. Even if it is just a screening test, psychologists should be cautious in administering a test with such a high false-positive rate and no published, peer-reviewed data on its reliability or validity.
More fundamentally, this type of testing raises philosophical issues about how far society should go in the name of protecting children, especially when most victimization is done not by teachers or amusement park workers but by family members.
A History of the Paedophile Activism,
Oct 13 2013
I am a [Belgian] historian, working on a PhD project on the scientific history of today’s ultimate sexual other: the paedophile. Today I would like to talk to you about a particularly interesting aspect of paedophile history, namely the chapter on paedophile activism [in Belgium and The Netherlands] on which I will present a brief overview and discourse analysis.
[... ... ... ...]
By the mid 1990s most paedophile movements had gone underground or on the Internet.
The fight for paedophile rights are a page in the history of sexual minorities that most people and especially LGBT movements have been eager to forget. Today the paedophile debate belongs to the past, the arguments of the movements are dismissed for being excruciatingly naive at best, monstrous at worst. [...]
;
I am a [Belgian] historian, working on a PhD project on the scientific history of today’s ultimate sexual other: the paedophile. Today I would like to talk to you about a particularly interesting aspect of paedophile history, namely the chapter on paedophile activism [in Belgium and The Netherlands] on which I will present a brief overview and discourse analysis.
[... ... ... ...]
By the mid 1990s most paedophile movements had gone underground or on the Internet.
The fight for paedophile rights are a page in the history of sexual minorities that most people and especially LGBT movements have been eager to forget. Today the paedophile debate belongs to the past, the arguments of the movements are dismissed for being excruciatingly naive at best, monstrous at worst. [...]
Paedophilia is not a crime
Paedophilia (in America pedophilia) is a sexual orientation, a predilection, a pattern of thought. It is not a behaviour, thoughts cannot, in a decent free society, be crimes. Therefore paedophilia cannot be considered a crime. [...] Being sexually attracted to children is not a crime, it can't be, thoughts alone cannot be criminal. [...]
Paedophilia is not a crime but it does present problems. As a society we should have the strength to accept that some people simply do have urges we (and probably they) would rather they didn't have. But simply getting very annoyed, unreasonable and violent isn't going to help anybody.
;
Paedophilia (in America pedophilia) is a sexual orientation, a predilection, a pattern of thought. It is not a behaviour, thoughts cannot, in a decent free society, be crimes. Therefore paedophilia cannot be considered a crime. [...] Being sexually attracted to children is not a crime, it can't be, thoughts alone cannot be criminal. [...]
Paedophilia is not a crime but it does present problems. As a society we should have the strength to accept that some people simply do have urges we (and probably they) would rather they didn't have. But simply getting very annoyed, unreasonable and violent isn't going to help anybody.
Pedophiles Find a Home on Wikipedia,
Jun 25 2010
A Fox news article on the attempts of Internet advocacy groups to maintain balanced information on Wikipedia.
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A Fox news article on the attempts of Internet advocacy groups to maintain balanced information on Wikipedia.
Review of: Michael C. Seto 2008 - Pedophilia and sexual offending against children
Seto notes, accurately, that many people inaccurately conflate pedophilia with sex offending against children. In this book, Seto discusses the distinctions between the two, delineating the potential causes of sex offending against children. These causes may well include pedophilia — that is, an actual sexual attraction to prepubertal children of some persistence and strength — but may in some cases be limited to other factors, especially those associated with antisociality. ... ... ...
Seto’s book is an excellent, nuanced review of the current state of the literature. The book shows excellent breadth and depth in its coverage and analysis. Thoseworking in this specialty, even those with considerable experience, would gain much from a careful reading of Pedophilia.
;
Seto notes, accurately, that many people inaccurately conflate pedophilia with sex offending against children. In this book, Seto discusses the distinctions between the two, delineating the potential causes of sex offending against children. These causes may well include pedophilia — that is, an actual sexual attraction to prepubertal children of some persistence and strength — but may in some cases be limited to other factors, especially those associated with antisociality. ... ... ...
Seto’s book is an excellent, nuanced review of the current state of the literature. The book shows excellent breadth and depth in its coverage and analysis. Thoseworking in this specialty, even those with considerable experience, would gain much from a careful reading of Pedophilia.