Using Loseke to examine the influence of laws, myths, and claims making on sex offenders’ socially constructed realities

The realities surrounding sex offenders in the United States can often times be inundated with preconceived and even false certainties. A consequence of such misleading beliefs for sex offenders can be the creation of urban legends and myths that motivated individuals can use to back an agenda and that can bring unintended collateral damage creating false realities for offenders, their families, law enforcement, and the community. This study utilizes Loseke’s lens to examine the socially constructed realities in which sex offenders in the United States are forced to live. The history of the treatment of sex offenders is detailed from colonial America through child sexual abuse panic of the 1980s and into the current cyber age. We review laws passed in the 1990s, through the first part of the new millennium, which fueled individuals’ fear of sex offenders. Additionally, we explore how claims-makers use myths and socially constructed realities to create social problems for sex offenders, generate public fear and resentment, and pressure policy makers and legislatures to pass laws that promise false hope and false security to communities. Finally, myths associated with cyber sexual offenders are explored. Solutions to combat myths are offered to legitimize the true reality surrounding sex offenders.