Citation

Sutherland EH. Am. J. Sociol. 1950; 56(2): 142-148.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1950, University of Chicago Press)

DOI

10.1086/220695

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The diffusion of sexual psychopath laws has followed this course: a community is thrown into panic by a few serious sex crimes, which are given nation-wide publicity; the community acts in an agitated manner, and all sorts of proposals are made; a committee is then appointed to study the facts and to make recommendations. The committee recommends a sexual psychopath law as the scientific procedure for control of sex crime. This recommendation is consistent with the trend toward treatment policies in criminal justice in preference to policies of punishment.