Digital Punishment, Lateral Surveillance & the Sex Offense Registry
October 06th, 2025
We highlight the article “Digital Punishment, Lateral Surveillance & the Sex Offense Registry", published in August 2025 in the journal Punishment & Society.
The contribution examines how the online dissemination of sex offense registries in the United States has radically altered the meaning and function of this instrument. From a simple consultable archive, the registry has evolved into a digital platform capable of permanently exposing the personal data of registered individuals, fostering practices of reciprocal surveillance and the commercial circulation of information. The authors thus question the presumed neutrality of a measure officially defined as “civil,” showing how the digital infrastructure ends up producing effects of exclusion, stigmatization, and control typical of the punitive sphere.
To read the full article, please consult the following link.