Is There an "Expert" Stranger Rapist?

Julien Chopin,Sarah Paquette,Eric Beauregard

doi:10.1177/1079063221993478

Julien Chopin, Sarah Paquette + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/1079063221993478

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Abstract

The concept of expertise applied to the criminal context assumes that offenders are driven by the abilities to both maximize the payoffs and minimize the risks associated with the crime-commission. This study tested the articulation between these two types of decisions taken by stranger rapists to successfully commit their crime. Specifically, this study aims to identify whether offenders whose modus operandi is indicative of criminal expertise are more likely to use forensic awareness strategies. Multivariate analyses conducted on 1,551 cases showed that stranger rapists who adopted behaviors indicative of expertise were more likely to use forensic awareness strategies to decrease the risk of police detection. Mixed associations were found between the number of forensic awareness strategies and their nature (i.e., protecting identity vs. destroying evidence) and rapists’ expertise, thus leading to a four-type theoretical classification of expertise: novice, bold, opportunistic, and expert stranger rapists. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Highlights

Hirschi (1986) challenged the idea that offending requires sophistication or specialized skills
Using a large sample of stranger rape cases involving adult victims, this study aims to identify (a) whether offenders whose modus operandi is indicative of criminal expertise are more likely to use forensic awareness strategies, and (b) whether modus operandi behaviors most related to criminal expertise are positively related to more sophisticated types of forensic awareness strategies
As to modus operandi of destroying evidence, forensic awareness strategies most frequently used were removing or destroying forensic evidence (7.48%), forcing victims to shower (2.32%), and cleaning the scene after the crime (1.74%). These findings show that more than half of the individuals who have committed stranger rapes used at least one forensic awareness strategy (55.64%)

Summary

Introduction

Hirschi (1986) challenged the idea that offending requires sophistication or specialized skills. It has been argued that this apparent absence in decision-making is not an indication of lack of skills and planning, but rather it demonstrates that some offenders have developed in-depth knowledge and skills to assess various situations and opportunities and have become better and quicker to act on them (Nee, 2015). This latter hypothesis has found support within a large body of research on the role of expertise in decision-making in fields unrelated to crime (e.g., chess, medicine, sports, and aviation; see Nee & Ward, 2015). As noted by Bourke et al (2012), the identification of criminal expertise would allow to better understand why some clinical and rehabilitation programs do not work for some individuals involved in sexual crimes (i.e., use of specific expert skills to block or delay treatment)

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