A sexual predator is a person seen as obtaining or trying to obtain sexual contact with another person in a metaphorically "predatory" or abusive manner. Analogous to how a predator hunts down its prey, so the sexual predator is thought to "hunt" for his or her sex partners.[1] People who commit sex crimes, such as rape or child sexual abuse, are commonly referred to as sexual predators, particularly in tabloid media or as a power phrase by politicians.[2]
FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover is attributed with the first known use of the term in the 1920s.[3] It was popularized in the 1990s by Andrew Vachss and 48 Hours.[4] The word is not found at all in newspapers of 1985 and 1986, but occurs 321 times in 1992, 865 times in 1994, and 924 times in 1995.[3] Some U.S. states have a special status for criminals designated as sexually violent predators, which allows these offenders to be held in prison after their sentence is complete if they are considered to be a risk to the public. They can also be placed on a sex offender list which is viewable by everyone on the Internet.[5][6]
The term is applied according to a person's moral beliefs and does not necessarily denote criminal behavior. For example, a person who cruises a bar looking for consensual sex from someone else could be considered a sexual predator by some.[citation needed]
The BDSM community often uses "predator" as a term for someone who seeks out dominance and submission partners that are new to the lifestyle. These partners would use the submissive or dominant in a manner that suited their personal needs instead of encouraging them to grow and learn on their own about this culture. In this same circle and in broader circles, there are also predators who are simply hunters who seek a certain type of personality, age group, fetish, or play style; they often refer to themselves as predators and enjoy the game of Hunter/Prey.[citation needed] (For an example of this usage in broader circles, see Kim France's comments in The New York Times, on Janis Joplin's sexuality.[7])
Distinction from sex offenders
The term "sexual predator" is often considered distinct from "sex offender". For example, many U.S. states make legal distinctions between these categories, defining a "sexual offender" as a person who has committed a sexual offense. The term "sexual predator" is often used to refer to a person who habitually seeks out sexual situations that are deemed exploitative. However, in some states in the U.S., the term "sexual predator" is applied to anyone who has been convicted of certain crimes, regardless of whether or not there is a history of similar behavior. In the state of Illinois, for instance, a person convicted of any sex crime against a minor is designated a sexual predator, no matter the nature of the crime (violent versus statutory, or perpetrated against a young child versus a teenager), and regardless of past behavior. This has led to criticism that the term is being misused, or overused, and thus has lost its original meaning and effectiveness.[5]
^Katherine Ramsland, Inside the Minds of Sexual Predators (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2010).
^Filler, Daniel (2001). "Making the Case for Megan's Law: A Study in Legislative Rhetoric". Indiana Law Journal. 76 (2). SSRN 266119.
^ abFiller, Daniel (2003). "Terrorism, Panic and Pedophilia". Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law. 10 (3). SSRN 431420.
^Jenkins, Philip (2001). "Faculty: 'Go and Sin No More': Therapy and Exorcism in the Contemporary Rhetoric of Deviance". PSU.edu.
^ ab"No Easy Answers: Sex Offender Laws in the US". Human Rights Watch Report. September 11, 2007.
^"Internet Safety Technical Task Force Report – Enhancing Child Safety and Online Technologies". Harvard Law School.
^France, Kim (May 2, 1999). "Nothin' Left to Lose: Janis Joplin proved that a female rocker could self-destruct as quickly as a man". The New York Times.
March 20, 2023
sexual, predator, sexual, predator, person, seen, obtaining, trying, obtain, sexual, contact, with, another, person, metaphorically, predatory, abusive, manner, analogous, predator, hunts, down, prey, sexual, predator, thought, hunt, partners, people, commit, . A sexual predator is a person seen as obtaining or trying to obtain sexual contact with another person in a metaphorically predatory or abusive manner Analogous to how a predator hunts down its prey so the sexual predator is thought to hunt for his or her sex partners 1 People who commit sex crimes such as rape or child sexual abuse are commonly referred to as sexual predators particularly in tabloid media or as a power phrase by politicians 2 Contents 1 Definitions and distinctions 1 1 Etymology and usage 1 2 Distinction from sex offenders 2 See also 3 ReferencesDefinitions and distinctionsEtymology and usage FBI Director J Edgar Hoover is attributed with the first known use of the term in the 1920s 3 It was popularized in the 1990s by Andrew Vachss and 48 Hours 4 The word is not found at all in newspapers of 1985 and 1986 but occurs 321 times in 1992 865 times in 1994 and 924 times in 1995 3 Some U S states have a special status for criminals designated as sexually violent predators which allows these offenders to be held in prison after their sentence is complete if they are considered to be a risk to the public They can also be placed on a sex offender list which is viewable by everyone on the Internet 5 6 The term is applied according to a person s moral beliefs and does not necessarily denote criminal behavior For example a person who cruises a bar looking for consensual sex from someone else could be considered a sexual predator by some citation needed The BDSM community often uses predator as a term for someone who seeks out dominance and submission partners that are new to the lifestyle These partners would use the submissive or dominant in a manner that suited their personal needs instead of encouraging them to grow and learn on their own about this culture In this same circle and in broader circles there are also predators who are simply hunters who seek a certain type of personality age group fetish or play style they often refer to themselves as predators and enjoy the game of Hunter Prey citation needed For an example of this usage in broader circles see Kim France s comments in The New York Times on Janis Joplin s sexuality 7 Distinction from sex offenders The term sexual predator is often considered distinct from sex offender For example many U S states make legal distinctions between these categories defining a sexual offender as a person who has committed a sexual offense The term sexual predator is often used to refer to a person who habitually seeks out sexual situations that are deemed exploitative However in some states in the U S the term sexual predator is applied to anyone who has been convicted of certain crimes regardless of whether or not there is a history of similar behavior In the state of Illinois for instance a person convicted of any sex crime against a minor is designated a sexual predator no matter the nature of the crime violent versus statutory or perpetrated against a young child versus a teenager and regardless of past behavior This has led to criticism that the term is being misused or overused and thus has lost its original meaning and effectiveness 5 See alsoCivil confinement Sex offender registries in the United StatesReferences Katherine Ramsland Inside the Minds of Sexual Predators Santa Barbara CA ABC CLIO LLC 2010 Filler Daniel 2001 Making the Case for Megan s Law A Study in Legislative Rhetoric Indiana Law Journal 76 2 SSRN 266119 a b Filler Daniel 2003 Terrorism Panic and Pedophilia Virginia Journal of Social Policy amp the Law 10 3 SSRN 431420 Jenkins Philip 2001 Faculty Go and Sin No More Therapy and Exorcism in the Contemporary Rhetoric of Deviance PSU edu a b No Easy Answers Sex Offender Laws in the US Human Rights Watch Report September 11 2007 Internet Safety Technical Task Force Report Enhancing Child Safety and Online Technologies Harvard Law School France Kim May 2 1999 Nothin Left to Lose Janis Joplin proved that a female rocker could self destruct as quickly as a man The New York Times Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sexual predator amp oldid 1093389215, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
