Sex Panic and the Punitive State

Download or read book Sex Panic and the Punitive State written by Roger N. Lancaster and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2011-03-15 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One evening, while watching the news, Roger N. Lancaster was startled by a report that a friend, a gay male school teacher, had been arrested for a sexually based crime. The resulting hysteria threatened to ruin the life of an innocent man. In this passionate and provocative book, Lancaster blends astute analysis, robust polemic, ethnography, and personal narrative to delve into the complicated relationship between sexuality and punishment in our society. Drawing on classical social science, critical legal studies, and queer theory, he tracks the rise of a modern suburban culture of fear and develops new insights into the punitive logic that has put down deep roots in everyday American life.