No consensus exists regarding what causes individuals to become sex offenders. However, current knowledge of this population affects the implications of these laws for initial diagnosis, risk assessment, and treatment implementation. The diagnosis of mental abnormality should follow currently accepted nomenclature and will probably result in a diagnosis related to a subset of paraphilia. Assessment should follow existing professional guidelines. The determination of sexual predator status should not be made on the basis of a paraphilic diagnosis alone, because significant heterogeneity exists in this population. The diagnosis should be combined with validated risk criteria. The presence of personality disorder alone, without indications of sexual psychopathy, should not result in an individual’s classification as a sexual predator. Appropriate application of the laws will result in the civil commitment of only the most high-risk sex offenders. Finally, policymakers and the public should recognize that these laws affect only a small number of offenders and will reduce victimization only slightly even if they are successful. Therefore, funding should focus on other prevention approaches such as early identification and intervention with adolescent offenders. 63 references