Unspeakable Acts

Why Men Sexually Abuse Children

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Gender Studies, Men&
Cover of the book Unspeakable Acts by Doug W. Pryor, NYU Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Doug W. Pryor ISBN: 9780814767993
Publisher: NYU Press Publication: July 1, 1996
Imprint: NYU Press Language: English
Author: Doug W. Pryor
ISBN: 9780814767993
Publisher: NYU Press
Publication: July 1, 1996
Imprint: NYU Press
Language: English

The sexual abuse of children is one of the most morally unsettling and emotionally inflammatory issues in American society today. It has been estimated that roughly one out of every four girls and one in ten boys experience some form of unwanted sexual attention either inside or outside the family before they reach adulthood.
How should society deal with the sexual victimization of children? Should known offenders be released back into our communities? If so, where, and with what rights, should they be allowed to live? In Unspeakable Acts, Douglas W. Pryor argues that much of this debate, designed to deal with abusers after they have offended, ignores the important issue of why men cross these forbidden sexual boundaries to molest children in the first place and how the behavior can possibly be prevented before it starts.
Incorporating in-depth interviews with more than thirty convicted child molesters, Pryor explores how men become involved with breaking sexual boundaries with children. He looks at how their lives prior to offending contributed to and led up to what they did, the ways that initial interest in sex with children began, the tactics offenders employed to molest their victims over time, how they felt about and reacted to their behavior between offending episodes, and how they were ultimately able to stop.
The author expands our understanding of this often reviled, little understood group, leaving us with the uneasy conclusion that the moral wall separating us from what is defined as extreme, sick behavior is not as opaque as we would like to believe.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The sexual abuse of children is one of the most morally unsettling and emotionally inflammatory issues in American society today. It has been estimated that roughly one out of every four girls and one in ten boys experience some form of unwanted sexual attention either inside or outside the family before they reach adulthood.
How should society deal with the sexual victimization of children? Should known offenders be released back into our communities? If so, where, and with what rights, should they be allowed to live? In Unspeakable Acts, Douglas W. Pryor argues that much of this debate, designed to deal with abusers after they have offended, ignores the important issue of why men cross these forbidden sexual boundaries to molest children in the first place and how the behavior can possibly be prevented before it starts.
Incorporating in-depth interviews with more than thirty convicted child molesters, Pryor explores how men become involved with breaking sexual boundaries with children. He looks at how their lives prior to offending contributed to and led up to what they did, the ways that initial interest in sex with children began, the tactics offenders employed to molest their victims over time, how they felt about and reacted to their behavior between offending episodes, and how they were ultimately able to stop.
The author expands our understanding of this often reviled, little understood group, leaving us with the uneasy conclusion that the moral wall separating us from what is defined as extreme, sick behavior is not as opaque as we would like to believe.

More books from NYU Press

Cover of the book White by Law 10th Anniversary Edition by Doug W. Pryor
Cover of the book In the Presence of Power by Doug W. Pryor
Cover of the book Contemporary Asian America (third edition) by Doug W. Pryor
Cover of the book Dance Hall Days by Doug W. Pryor
Cover of the book Narcissism and the Literary Libido by Doug W. Pryor
Cover of the book Authors of Their Lives by Doug W. Pryor
Cover of the book Policing Methamphetamine by Doug W. Pryor
Cover of the book Toilet by Doug W. Pryor
Cover of the book Post-Holocaust France and the Jews, 1945-1955 by Doug W. Pryor
Cover of the book Legally Straight by Doug W. Pryor
Cover of the book Christian Theologies of Scripture by Doug W. Pryor
Cover of the book Words of Fire by Doug W. Pryor
Cover of the book The Practices of Hope by Doug W. Pryor
Cover of the book Feminist Nightmares: Women At Odds by Doug W. Pryor
Cover of the book New York Jews and the Civil War by Doug W. Pryor
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy