​This book, the first of two volumes edited by McCartan and Kemshall, focusses on perceptions of sexual offenders, and how risk is used by policy makers, stakeholders, academics and practitioners to both construct and respond to unknown and known sex offenders within the contexts of criminal justice, health and social policy. The chapters provide an oversight of contemporary policies, practices and debates within the area to help both professionals and researchers.  
The collection focuses on emerging areas (public health approaches, prevention, public perceptions of sexual abuse, and social constructionism), as well as more traditional topics (media, preventative and exceptional sentencing, resilience, and work force development). The authors examine public and professional engagement on sex offender management, and the changing socio-political landscape of sexual offender management. A bold and engaging volume, this edited collection will be of great importance to scholars and practitioners interested in perceptions of sexual offending.

Brings together a range of stakeholders, agencies and practitioners to discuss the multifaceted dimensions of risk and sexual offenders in the criminal justice system Explores the key issues in researching risk and the challenging relationship between research, policy and practice Speaks to academics and practitioners interested media studies, criminology, psychology, sociology, social policy, social work and/or politics