The Crime of Incest

The Crime of Incest

How do the laws of England, the United States, and other countries compare in their treatment of the crime of incest? How serious is the incidence of the crime? How can the genesis of the incest taboo be explained? What are the real harms produced by the crime? And, can the existing prohibitions regarding incest be defended on utilitarian grounds? Considering these and related questions, Professor Hughes critically analyses the existing law and proposes a "Model Incest Prohibition" designed to encompass the socially harmful aspects of incest without also comprising those relationships with which he finds the criminal law should not be concerned.