Illicit and Unnatural Practices : The Law, Sex and Society in Scotland since 1900

Using a wide range of prosecution and trial records, along with more recent newspaper coverage of court proceedings, this book furnishes a fascinating insight into the relationship between the law, sex, and society in modern Scotland.

Offers a new perspective on the relationship between the law and society in modern Scotland . Makes a significant contribution to our understanding of sexual practices and attitudes in modern Scotland. Provides in-depth case studies of abortion, bestiality, brothel-keeping, child sexual abuse, homosexual acts, sex shops, VD quackery and HIV transmissionUsing a wide range of prosecution and trial records, along with more recent newspaper coverage of court proceedings, this book furnishes a fascinating insight into the relationship between the law, sex, and society in modern Scotland. Case studies of sex-related offences, including abortion, bestiality, brothel-keeping, child sexual assault, and wilful HIV transmission, reveal how far the legal process both reflected and reinforced contemporary moral panics and how far it was shaped by the interplay between law officers and forensic experts, by the prejudices of the local community and civic leaders, and by Scotland''s distinctive legal and moral ident