on media-driven moral panic and "public emotion", rather than a real attempt to protect society. This can motivate legislators to pass knee-jerk laws to address public hysteria, echoing a "populist punitiveness" perspective. Many lawmakers feel that they will attract votes by appearing to be "tough on sex offenders". One discrepancy pointed out by critics is that John Walsh, father of Adam Walsh and supporter of the Adam Walsh Act, has admitted having a relationship with a 16-year-old girl while being in his early 20s and aware of age of consent being 17 in New York, meaning that, had he been convicted, John Walsh himself could be required to register as a sex offender. Since passage of the Adam Walsh Act, Walsh himself has criticized the law, stating "You can't paint sex offenders with a broad brush." Critics point out that contrary to media depictions, abductions by predatory offenders are very rare and 93% of child sexual abuse is committed by someone the child knows: a family member, a family friend or someone in a position of authority. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, sex offender recidivism is 5.3%, the lowest for any type of crime except homicide. Critics say that, while originally aimed at the worst offenders, as a result of moral panic the laws have gone through series of amendments, many named after the victim of a highly publicized predatory offense, expanding the scope of the laws to low-level offenders, and treating them the same as predatory offenders, leading to the disproportionate punishment of being placed on a public sex offender registry, with the consequent restrictions on movement, employment, and housing. As a result of this persistent media narrative of sex offenders, this panic is being preserved, leading legislators to make registration mandatory for all sex offences, without the possibility of judicial discretion for less dangerous offenders. See also Articles Child sexual abuse Day care sex abuse hysteria Ephebophilia Exhibitionism Frotteurism Hebephilia Incest Paraphilia Pedophilia Prevention Project Dunkelfeld Sex and the law Sex offender registries in the United States Sex offender registration Sexual predator United States National Sex Offenders Public Registry Voyeurism Laws Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act Jessica's Law Megan's Law Monitoring, assessment, other Ankle monitor Circles of Support and Accountability Civil confinement Global Positioning System (GPS) Penile plethysmograph Recidivism Offenders Jeffrey Dahmer: American