Sex, Crime and Morality

Within modern democratic nations, there are a specific group of offences which bear the brunt of the label ‘crimes against morality’. These include offences related to prostitution and pornography, homosexuality, incest, and child sexual abuse. This book examines the historical, anthropological and moral reasons for such differentiations in contemporary western culture.

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Over the last few decades, there has been a marked increase in media and debate surrounding a specific group of offences in modern Democratic nations which bear the brunt of the label ‘crimes against morality’. Included within this group are offences related to prostitution and pornography, homosexuality and incest and child sexual abuse. This book examines the nexus between sex, crime and morality from a theoretical perspective.

This is the first academic text to offer an examination and analysis of the philosophical underpinnings of sex-related crimes and social attitudes towards them and the historical, anthropological and moral reasons for differentiating these crimes in contemporary western culture.

The book is divided into three sections corresponding to three theoretical frameworks:








Part 1 examines the moral temporality of sex and taboo as a foundation for legislation governing sex crimes



Part 2 focuses on the geography of sex and deviance, specifically notions of public morality and the public private divide



Part 3 examines the moral economy of sex and harm, including the social construction of harm.



Sex, Crime and Morality will be key reading for students of criminology, criminal justice, gender studies and ethics, and will also be of interest to justice professionals.