Talking to strangers: Feminism, sexual predators, and rape law reform (New Jersey)

This dissertation uses New Jersey's sex offender registration and community notification laws, commonly known as "Megan's Law," as a lens through which to examine the transformation of the feminist anti-rape movement. Megan's Law attacks many of the basic premises of feminist attempts to reform rape laws and change cultural perceptions of sexual violence, yet local rape care advocates have maintained a public silence about the laws. The dissertation draws extensively on interviews with rape care advocates in New Jersey to identify the long-term impact of legal mobilization on the anti-rape movement and on the legal response to sexual assault.; Examining the impact of Megan's Law on criminal justice practices, the construction of sex offenders, and the relationship between the state and rape crisis centers points to the negative and demobilizing effects of organizing for legal change. The failure of local organizations to respond to Megan's Law is the result of changes that were deeply influenced by the movement's turn to law to achieve social change. The use of law reform ultimately resulted in the contraction of the movement's vision and scope, a retreat from politics and policy, and a decline in legal consciousness among activists. These factors diminished the skills, resources, and interest of local activists in using law for social change, and dissuaded advocates from making public their concerns and criticisms of Megan's Law.