Sex Predator - Societal Protection vs. Constitutional Rights Essay

Sex Predator - Societal Protection vs. Constitutional Rights - Essay Example Individuals who engage in sex crimes such as rape or child sex are known as sexual predators. However, the term may be applied depending on the moral beliefs and sometimes may not be a criminal behaviour. In communities, a predator may refer to somebody who seeks dominance or submission in an exploitative manner. The Constitution and the society have different views regarding sexual predators and the legality of the action. The sexual predator law, the statute mandates long periods of civil commitment for habitual sexual offenders and sexual psychopaths in their criminal sentences. For instance, in the US sexual predator laws were very popular in the 1990s although they led to constitutional questions (Carpenter, 2012). One of the concerns was the double jeopardy and the need to balance the rights of the offenders and those of the community in which they came from. The laws' strictness is due to the possibility of a sex offender repeating an action once released from prison and there fore, long-term jail period is necessary. The offenders also undergo screening to rule out the possibility of a mental disorder to the offender and give treatment before passing judgment. The state has the role of detaining the offender and give treatment until the individual is cured of the illness as explained by Bartol & Bartol (2012). The supreme court of the United States holds the Kansa’s sexual predator law, which requires the state prove mental abnormality as a before detainment of the offender.