Screen Readers Skip to Content

Black Men and Sexual Minority Men Overrepresented in U.S. Among Commited Sex Offenders

Author: The Williams Institute
Published: 23rd Oct 2020 - Updated: 29th Nov 2020
Peer-Reviewed Publication: N/A
Additional References: Discrimination and Abuse Publications

Summary: Black men and men with male victims are more likely to be committed.


Main Document

There are more than 6,300 sex offenders detained in state and federal civil commitment programs in the United States, according to a new study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law.

Results from states for which data were obtained show disparities in how the laws are applied. Black sex offenders were twice as likely as White sex offenders to be civilly committed. In addition, men with male victims were 2 to 3 times more likely to be civilly committed than men with only female victims.

Twenty states, the federal government, and the District of Columbia have laws that allow for the indefinite detention of sex offenders designated as a "Sexually Violent Person" or "Sexually Violent Predator" (SVP) beyond the term of their incarceration. To confine a person under an SVP law, the defendant must have been charged with a sexual offense, have a "mental disorder" or "abnormality," and be likely to commit sexually violent acts in the future.

"Inherent biases lead to disparities in civil commitments between sexual minority and heterosexual men. Overly broad terms like "mental disorder" and "abnormality" have no medical meaning, and they could be used to characterize sexual minority people as mentally ill when they engage in a sexual practice perceived to be deviant," said study author Ilan H. Meyer, Distinguished Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute. "In addition, men with a same-sex victim are judged as more violent on the standard assessment tool used to determine SVP."

KEY FINDINGS

"These findings reveal that gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men face much higher rates of civil commitment than their heterosexual counterparts. This suggests that state authorities deem queer men to be more violent more dangerous or mentally ill, and more deserving of commitment under these laws," said lead author Trevor Hoppe, assistant professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. "It is also vital that state programs consider biases that may contribute to higher rates of commitment that we observed among Black and sexual minority men."

***

Post to Twitter Add to Facebook

Latest Discrimination and Abuse Publications

The above information is from our reference library of resources relating to Discrimination and Abuse that includes:

Language in Sexual Offense Judgments Makes Victims Responsible thumbnail image.
Judgments are supposed to reflect objectivity of the courts, but when we use language we inevitably express some kind of idea or conception of the world.
Publish Date: 19th Sep 2024
Lack of Sexually Injuries Does Not Mean Rape Victim Is Making It Up thumbnail image.
A new study reveals the absence of sexually related injuries cannot be used in court to infer that rape victims are making it up.
Publish Date: 8th Oct 2023
Why Sexually Harassed People Might Not Come Forward Immediately or at All thumbnail image.
What would a reasonable person do? Exploring the gap between experienced and anticipated responses to sexual harassment.
Publish Date: 10th Jun 2023
Some LGBT Allies Don't Want Gay Neighbors thumbnail image.
Study explores stigmatizing behaviors expressed by avid supporters of sexual minorities in a survey 8.5% who said they were fully accepting of gay people did not want gay neighbors.
Publish Date: 6th Mar 2023


1Transgender Reporting Guide
How to write about transgender people.

2Am I Gay? Questions to Ask
Think you may be gay or bisexual?

3Glossary of Sexuality Terms
Definitions of sexual terms & acronyms.

4LGBTQ+ Pride Flags
Symbols of Identity and Inclusion.

5LGBT Awareness Dates
Important LGBTQ community awareness days, remembrance dates, and coming pride events.

• Submissions: Send us your coming events and LGBTQ related news stories.


• Report Errors: Please report outdated or inaccurate information to us.



• (APA): The Williams Institute. (2020, October 23). Black Men and Sexual Minority Men Overrepresented in U.S. Among Commited Sex Offenders. SexualDiversity.org. Retrieved October 16, 2024 from www.sexualdiversity.org/discrimination/921.php


• Permalink: <a href="https://www.sexualdiversity.org/discrimination/921.php">Black Men and Sexual Minority Men Overrepresented in U.S. Among Commited Sex Offenders</a>