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Legislation in Victoria on sexual offenders: issues for health professionals
Author(s) -
Sullivan Danny H,
Mullen Paul E,
Pathé Michele T
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2005.tb07063.x
Subject(s) - legislation , health professionals , criminology , sex offense , occupational safety and health , medical emergency , environmental health , political science , medicine , business , suicide prevention , poison control , psychology , law , health care , sexual abuse
New legislation passed in Victoria (the Serious Sex Offenders Monitoring Act 2005 ) extends the role of doctors in managing and treating sex offenders. This legislation is not based on a solid understanding of the research evidence on treatment of sex offenders or on their risk of reoffending. The legislation creates ethical and professional dilemmas for health professionals through the conflation of legal control of offenders with the medical management of disorders of sexual preference. There is a critical need for research and funding in this area, rather than ever more oppressive laws, if governments are to be serious about treating sex offenders, rather than simply incarcerating them.