Sex Offenders Research Articles

Attachment Theory and Sexual Offending: Making the Connection.

The purpose of this review is to discuss how attachment theory can be applied to explain sexual violence. Specifically, it discusses how the development of certain risk factors contributes to these behaviors and how attachment-based models can be used to address this issue through prevention and therapeutic interventions. Recent research demonstrates that individuals who commit sexual offenses have higher rates of insecure attachment styles and that these styles are associated with a number of criminogenic risk factors associated with sexual offending. Such risk factors include cognitive processing difficulties, affect dysregulation, and challenges in interpersonal relationships, among others. Fortunately, treatment interventions have been shown to foster more secure attachment styles and reduce these risk factors. Attachment theory is a viable theory to both understand and intervene with those who have committed sexual violence to reduce the risk factors associated with sexual violence.

Participants' Experiences of Sex Offender Treatment: Searching for Desisting Narrative Identities.

Life-course criminology has demonstrated the importance of social relationships and life transitions to understand desistance. Yet, individuals convicted of sexual offenses seem to differ in terms of turning points, where treatment is suggested as salient to their desistance processes. Drawing on 13 teller-focused interviews with adult male incarcerated participants in a new Swedish sex offender program, this paper examines the treatment experience and the under-explored aspect of early desistance, as well as the role of society and social relations in the treatment process, through a practice-oriented lens. The thematic analysis suggests participants started developing desisting narrative identities where micro turning points in treatment contributed to offenses being explained and re-integrated into a sense of the self as an acceptable person. The process, which also enabled active responsibility, seemed to be facilitated by a holistic, person-centered treatment environment. Nonetheless, continued desistance requires adequate attention to social support and stigma management post-release.

Parole work in Canada: The realities of supervising “sex offenders”

Analyzing interview data ( n = 150) collected from Canadian federal parole officers (POs), we unpack potentially psychologically traumatic events (PPTEs) concerning experiences supervising and supporting re-entry of people convicted of sex-related crimes (PCSCs). We find heterogeneity in the broad range of sex-crime behavior and potential psychological trauma that POs negotiate regarding their own gender and familial circumstances. We further observe how working with sex crimes contributes to the experience of operational stress as “moral injury.” Cathartic utility is found in collegial debriefing that supports POs experiencing distress on the job. Given the precarity of personal and professional boundaries in parole work, and the variances of both criminal behavior and how POs respond to it, we suggest the need for further research while outlining our theoretical and empirical contributions.

Reexamining predictors of trial outcomes in New York State's sex offender civil management process.

In 2007, New York enacted the Sex Offender Management and Treatment Act, empowering the state to civilly manage individuals who have committed sexual offenses (respondents) and are deemed to have a mental abnormality (MA) that predisposes them to sexually recidivate after serving their criminal sentences. We sought to replicate and extend a previous study (Lu et al., 2015) to identify factors predicting legal decisions. We predicted, on the basis of previous research, that clinical information (e.g., diagnosis) as well as empirically supported risk factors (e.g., sexual deviance) would predict trial outcomes. We analyzed multiple pieces of demographic, criminogenic, and clinical data on three nested subsamples of respondents on the basis of the legal process: MA consent (n = 713), MA trial (n = 316), and disposition hearing (n = 643). The binary outcomes of interest were as follows: For the MA consent subsample, it was whether the respondent waived their MA trial; for the MA trial subsample, it was whether the respondent was found at trial to have an MA; and for the disposition hearing, it was whether the respondent was ordered to inpatient or outpatient civil management. The strongest predictor of waiving the trial was geographic location; respondents outside New York City and Long Island were more likely to waive their trials (ORs = 2.38-3.37). The strongest predictors of MA trial and disposition hearing outcomes were Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders diagnoses; pedophilia (ORs = 4.05-7.22) and sexual sadism (ORs = 2.68-7.03) diagnoses increased the likelihood of an MA finding and confinement order. Judges and juries give significant weight to clinical information, particularly pedophilia diagnoses, when making civil management legal decisions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Comparing child and adult sexual homicides in Australia and New Zealand: A retrospective study.

The present study examined distinctions between child (n=30) and adult (n=212) sexual homicide offenders (SHOs) in Australia and New Zealand, contributing to the limited international research on the subject. Data, primarily sourced from judges' sentencing comments on AustLII and New Zealand Legal Information Institute, revealed significant differences. Child SHOs displayed elevated rates of pedophilia, sexual deviance, and adverse childhood experiences, including sexual abuse. They were more likely to be married, cohabitate, and target familial victims. Their crimes were more often committed during daylight and outdoors, involving tactics such as victim conning, restraints, strangulation, and hiding victim's bodies. No significant group differences emerged regarding offenders' psychopathy or sexual sadism scores. Results were interpreted in line with child SHOs' deviant sexual preferences and the routine activity theory. The study, as the first investigating child sexual homicides in Australia and New Zealand, sets the foundation for an evidence-based approach to policy and practice.

Identifying victim types in sexual homicide: A latent class analysis using interactional victimology theories.

Sexual homicide (SH) research has focused on those who commit these crimes and the crimes themselves. This leaves the victim, an equally crucial piece to the puzzle, left as a sort of afterthought, despite the valuable insight that victimology provides to the crime. For the current study, victim information related to their routine activities and lifestyles was taken from an international database containing 662 solved cases of SH. Nine victim variables were used in a latent class analysis to find hidden subgroups within the victim population. Three classes were identified-low-risk, homebody, and overt risk victims-which suggests that SH victimization varies depending on the victim lifestyles and routine activities. These groups were externally validated by examining their association with different phases of the crime commission process. Some sexual homicide offenders may be more drawn to a victim because they present as vulnerable and opportunistic, while others might be methodically targeted. The theoretical relevance of this typology, along with investigative and prevention strategies, is discussed.

Trophy, souvenir, or simple theft? Taking items from the victim in sexual homicide.

Although most people have heard the terms 'souvenirs', 'trophies', and 'mementos', discussed in books and movies on the true crimes of sexual murderers, limited research has delved into the phenomenon of theft in sexual homicide (SH). Using a sample of 762 SH cases coming from the Sexual Homicide International Database, the current study examines the crime-commission process of the pre-crime, crime, and post-crime phases of sexual homicide offenders (SHOs) who engaged in theft during a SH. Additionally, this study seeks to determine if a specific type of SHO engages in this behaviour over others. Results from the sequential logistic regression indicate that victims who are 16years or older, were strangers to the SHO, and were sex workers were more likely to be victims of theft. Additionally, results indicate that the presence of sadism made it more likely the SHO would engage in theft from the victim and/or crime scene. Findings suggest there is a group of SHOs who engage in theft not for monetary purposes but due to the paraphilia of the offender. These findings can inform the police investigation of these crimes.

Exploring the Linkages between Animal Abuse, Domestic Abuse, and Sexual Offending: A Scoping Review

The abuse of animals is evident in different contexts. This article takes two discrete bodies of literature: threats and actual harm to animals in the context of domestic abuse and sex offending in the context of animal abuse. The reviews focus on the implications for risk assessment and risk management and explore the following questions: What is the international evidence base for threats or violence towards animals, with a specific focus on risk assessment, in the context of domestic abuse? What is the international evidence base for threats or violence towards animals, with a specific focus on risk assessment, in the context of sex offending? What similarities and differences are evident in the approaches in the two bodies of literature? A scoping review methodology was applied to the two bodies of animal abuse literature. The domestic abuse literature elicited 27 studies for full inclusion, while the sex-offending literature examined 15 papers. A broad analysis of the literature was taken to understand the implications for risk assessment and risk management. In the context of risk assessment, the literature indicates that threats or harm towards animals, including the sex abuse of animals, has the potential to be used in four ways: (1) animal abuse as an indicator of domestic abuse; (2) childhood animal abuse as a signal of other problems within a household; (3) animal abuse as an indicator of more severe domestic abuse; and (4) the inclusion of pet abuse as a unique form of domestic abuse. The comparison of the literature on animal abuse and animal sex abuse highlighted not only different approaches theoretically and methodologically but also important similarities. Both literature highlighted gaps in risk assessment, risk management, and the lack of identification and training in this neglected area of the service system prevention and response.

Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in child sex offenders and associations with health indicators

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of ACEs among child sex offenders in Greece and their associations with specific health indicators (e.g., smoking, alcoholism). A cross-sectional study was conducted (between February and April 2023) using a convenience sample of 158 child sex offenders in Tripolis prison, Greece. The questionnaire included demographic and criminal information, the BRFSS ACEs module, and four additional childhood experiences (death of a parent or sibling, etc.). Their mean age was 50.5 years (min=22, max=83, range=61), and the majority were smokers (62%) and had at least one chronic disease (63.3%). Small percentages used drugs (7.6%) and were alcoholics (8.2%). The mean ACEs score was .76 (min=0, max=6, range=6). One out of three offenders (33.5%) had experienced at least one ACE and 6.3% had four or more ACEs. The most common ACEs were intimate partner violence (15.8%), physical abuse (13.3%), and parental separation/divorce (12.7%). Smaller percentages were recorded for substance abuse and emotional abuse (10.8%), incarcerated household members (10.1%), sexual abuse (7.59%), and mental health problems of household members (0.6%). Those with four or more ACEs had a higher likelihood of being smokers (odds ratio=5.97, 95% CI: 1.074-48.335) and alcoholics (odds ratio=1.37, 95% CI: 1.028-1.124). Age was negatively correlated with the ACEs scores (r=-.312, p<.001). In conclusion, these offenders reported many ACEs, but fewer than those found in other studies abroad. Future research should further examine the preliminary findings of this study.

Juvenile Offending Among Maltreated Youth: Assessing Type-Specificity and Offense Specialization in the Cycle of Violence

This study assesses how different forms of abuse and neglect are associated with juvenile offending, with specific emphasis on whether youth commit offenses analogous to the illicit parental behaviors to which they were exposed. Using statewide child welfare system data linked with juvenile offending records, we assess rates and types of offending among a cohort of youth exposed to child maltreatment, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect ( N = 7,787). Findings suggest that the maltreatment-delinquency link is better characterized as a general rather than a specific cycle of violence, though sex abuse victims tend to specialize in sex offending. Youth exposed to physical abuse, moral neglect, and parent incarceration offend at high rates overall and should be prioritized for prevention and treatment services.

Evaluating the impact of public housing after prison for a sex offence

This article evaluates the impact of housing assistance on the post-release pathways of people convicted of sex offences, in terms of a range of criminal justice outcomes and associated costs. Using linked administrative data from New South Wales government agencies, it compares outcomes and costs for two groups of formerly incarcerated sex offenders – one group who received public housing tenancies at some stage after their release, the other who only received private rental assistance. We find the public housing group had better criminal justice outcomes (e.g. fewer police incidents, court appearances, proven offences, days in custody and days on community-based orders) than the non-public housing group, achieved mostly at less cost to governments. The evidence, likely applicable in other jurisdictions with similar housing systems, strongly supports the increased provision of social housing to this group of ex-prisoners and, we hope, helps disarm the controversy that affects this area of policy in Australia and internationally.

“It’s Like POOF and It’s Gone”: The Live-Streaming of Child Sexual Abuse

The live-streaming of child sexual abuse is an established, and prolific, form of abuse, with high international demand. It involves transmitting the sexual abuse of children in ‘real time’ via a webcam to individuals in any geographical location. Despite it being identified as a global key threat in the area of child sexual exploitation, there is a dearth of literature on this type of offending, limiting our understanding. Until further research is conducted, the current paper fills an important purpose by offering a stop gap of current research on the live-streaming of child sexual abuse. In particular, it draws from a breadth of literature to offer a synthesis of where geographically CSA live-streaming appears to mostly occur; the technological and legal barriers in detecting and prosecuting the behavior; what we know about viewers; what we know about facilitators; and the victims of CSA live-streaming and the impact of the abuse on them. In doing so, this paper offers critical knowledge for research, policy, and practice professionals across psychology, criminology, and law disciplines, who are interested in understanding, preventing, and responding to this form of sexual offending against children.

Is rape a crime in Japan?

Abstract Japan is often said to have one of the lowest rape rates in the world, and Japanese police claim to solve 97 percent of rape cases. But in reality, only 5–10 percent of rape victims report it to police, and police record half or less of reported cases while prosecutors charge about one-third of recorded cases. The result of this process of caseload attrition is that for every 1,000 rapes in Japan, only 10–20 result in a criminal conviction – and fewer than half of convicted rapists are incarcerated. Similar patterns characterize Japan's criminal justice response to other sex crimes. This article shows that impunity for sex offenders is extremely common in Japan, and it argues that patriarchal social and legal norms help explain this pattern.

Effet du genre des victimes parmi les consommateurs de pédopornographie et les auteurs de viol : étude exploratoire et résultats préliminaires

This exploratory study compares the distinctive characteristics of individuals who have consumed child pornography and those who have committed rape. The study sample consists of 212 men of legal age and who have been convicted of a sexual offence. All were monitored in 2022 for therapeutic guidance by the Centre d’Appui Bruxellois. Of these 212 men, 48 were convicted of child pornography consumption and 100 of rape. Socio-demographic, criminological, victimological and psycho-diagnostic data for all the participants were extracted from the judicial court files. This comparison offers crucial perspectives for the development of prevention strategies and therapeutic guidance specific to these sub-groups of sexual offenders.

Analysis of CSEM offenders on the dark web using honeypots to geolocate IP addresses from Spain

Gathering evidence in cybercrime is a complex process. Under this premise, it is very important to have cutting-edge methodologies that allow the observation of criminal phenomena on the Internet and protect the personal integrity of the investigator, especially when the content is extremely critical and is located in the so-called dark zone of the Internet (hereinafter Dark Web). This article develops a new research methodology in the field of cybercrime based on the use of honeypots, and its main objective is to evaluate the ability to de-anonymize users in the Tor network to collect geographic coordinates and demographic data on the Dark Web in order to obtain digital evidence related to minors sexual (CSEM) offenders. The information collected aims to map the consumption of CSEM through cartograms, with a particular focus on the Spanish territory. The outcomes demonstrate the ability of using honeypots to assess the prevalence of CSEM consumption on the Dark Web. Future improvements of the methodology will be discussed.

Legal Perspectives on the Rehabilitation of Sex Offenders: Efficacy, Ethical Considerations, and the Pursuit of Recidivism Reduction

This dissertation critically examines the efficacy of group-based therapeutic interventions for sex offenders within correctional facilities, aiming to enhance rehabilitation and reduce recidivism. Despite contemporary treatment paradigms demonstrating some effectiveness, as indicated by lower recidivism rates among treated offenders, the success of these programs is not uniform, prompting a need for reevaluation. Treatment challenges include infrastructural limitations, the need for individualized approaches due to offenders' diverse psychosocial profiles, and the complexity of achieving group cohesion. Furthermore, high dropout rates and short assessment periods undermine the establishment of evidence-based practices. The dissertation advocates for a stratified approach to therapy, recognizing individual psychological profiles and tailoring treatment accordingly. It calls for advancements in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) methodologies within Sex Offender Treatment Programs (SOTPs), considering ethical dimensions of interventions such as chemical castration, and employing Multisystemic Therapy (MST) with biometric monitoring to better assess and manage recidivism risks. This synthesis of academic literature and analysis of programmatic limitations highlights the necessity of refining sex offender rehabilitation to ensure public safety effectively.

The monster and the self: Taking on the monstrosity of sexual violations

The contemporary normative climate regarding sexual violence affects how perpetrators of such violence relate to their harmful acts. In this article, we analyze how men convicted of sex offences are affected by how perpetrators of such offences are often represented as monsters and ask what this tells us about what characterizes the Monster as a figure. While people convicted of sexual offences are likened to monsters in many contexts, there is little research that unpacks the characteristics of this figure and how it is contingent on ideas about and the regulation of sex offending. By analyzing data from qualitative interviews with 17 men convicted of sexual offences in Norway, we found that, although they presented themselves and the acts they were convicted of committing differently, they had a common fear of being identified as a monster. In these narratives, a monster was characterized by (1) intentionality—having intentionally harmed others, (2) preference—having a sexual preference for harmful, nonconsensual sex, and (3) authenticity—being authentically violent. We conceive of the narrative processes that the participants engage in as forms of social abjection and discuss the consequences that abjection may have for accountability, rehabilitation, and justice.

A profile of French clergymen who sexually assaulted victims and a review.

Sexual abuse within the Catholic Church is a distressing concern. As part of the investigation conducted by the French Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church, we analysed available files of convicted sexual abusers between 1950 and 2020. We analysed the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of French clergymen sex offenders. Thirty-five clergymen were included. Sexual assaults were documented for 176 individuals in total, including 153 minors (79.7% male) and 23 adults (52.2% female). No sex offender assaulted both juvenile and adult victims. Homosexuality was declared in 50% of the perpetrators. A past history of child sexual abuse was observed in 30% (N = 9) of juvenile offenders. The mean number of victims per offender was around 5, with the highest mean number in male or both sex juvenile offenders. More than 90% of the victims were known to the perpetrator. Both hands-on and hands-off sexual offences occurred in over 80% of male juvenile offenders compared to less than 6% of female juvenile offenders and less than 17% of adult offenders. Sex offenders within the Catholic Church present some specificities in comparison to non religious sex offenders, such as a higher number of male juvenile victims somewhat older and more often known. Personal, interpersonal and systemic factors, some of which being specific, interact to foster sexual offence. Prevention of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church is crucial.

Comparison of risk of recidivism among sexual offenders with and without sexual preference disorders using the STATIC-99R instrument.

The STATIC-99 instrument is one of the tools used for the assessment of the risk of recidivism, in line with the actuarial approach. One of the risk factors indicated by the scientific literature as having the greatest significance is sexual preference disorder. The aim of the study was to verify whether sexual offenders diagnosed with sexual preference disorders have a higher risk of recidivism. The study also aimed to present, for the first time in Poland, a quantitative scoring of individual risk factors in STATIC-99R and their prevalence, allowing for the verification of the theoretical validity of the STATIC-99R instrument in the analysis of the population of sexual offenders in Poland. The study material consisted of 100 court and penitentiary files of perpetrators of crimes against sexual freedom from 11 Polish penal institutions and remand centers. We used the STATIC-99R to evaluate each case. The distribution of the individual STATIC-99R risk factors in the population of the Polish sexual offenders is presented. The diagnosis of sexual preference disorders had no influence on the total STATIC-99R score but was associated with its individual factors. It can be concluded that the theoretical validity of the STATIC-99R tool is also relevant to the Polish study population and may be used in clinical practice.

The Sex Offenders Public Registry of the Republic of Poland: Problems that require solutions

The paper examines the experience of the Republic of Poland in recording and classifying convicted sexual offenders. The register is a comprehensive criminal law tool for crime prevention of sexual violent crimes. The author examines the effectiveness of the register as well as compares it to the similar practices in some Western countries. The author dwells upon the experience of one of the very few publicly available crime registries in the European Union, The Polish Public Sex Offenders Registry, which is currently functioning on the base of the Act of 13 May of 2016 on counteracting sexual crime threats. The current registry could be checked from any device from any part of the globe (which makes it similar to some US public registries). The article examines how such regulations correlate with General Data Protection Regulation of the European Parliament and if this type of crime prevention could be considered to be adequate to its task.