History Of Sexual Offending Research Articles

A new identity: Enhancing life skills and work-readiness for those with a sexual offending history

The purpose of this research was to examine the experiences of individuals, with a sexual offending history, who have engaged with a community-based life skills and work-readiness programme. With a view to understand the impact of such programmes on their rehabilitation and to inform a growing body of research around the approaches needed for promoting rehabilitation within this group. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four participants about their experiences of accessing a community-based charity and three themes were identified using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis: “a place to belong without fear or judgement;” “creating an identity away from offending;” and “space and time to realise own potential.” These findings were discussed in relation to the Good Lives Model; previously identified protective factors for people with a history of sexual offending; and desistance research. The research offers a number of recommendations for practice which can be used by organisations to help them develop an inclusive and meaningful approach to supporting individuals with a history of sexual offending.

Reflective functioning and emotion regulation in adolescents with a history of sexual offending: a comparative study with a non-offending control group

BackgroundSexual offenses encompass a diverse array of behaviors across various contexts, affecting numerous individuals. Despite the prevalence of sexual offending among adolescents, there is still a limited understanding of this population. To contribute further to the literature in this field, the present study was conducted to compare a group of male adolescents convicted of sexual offenses with a control group in terms of reflective functioning (RF), emotion regulation (ER) strategies, and emotion dysregulation (ED).Methods60 male adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (M = 16.90; SD = 0.97) who had been convicted of at least one serious sexual offense were recruited from male adolescents referred by juvenile courts to the Legal Medicine Organization in Mashhad, Iran, and compared with a control group of non-offending adolescents consisting of 60 male adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (M = 16.97; SD = 0.82) who were attending school. The groups were matched on age and education level.ResultsA comparison between these two groups revealed that adolescents with a history of sexual offending exhibited poorer RF capacity, greater use of suppression as an ER strategy, and higher scores in all ED domains (p’s < 0.001) except non-acceptance of emotional responses compared with the control group.ConclusionsResults suggest that RF, ER strategies, and ED need to be considered as important psychological factors in understanding and treating adolescents with a history of sexual offending.

“Stigmatization and perceived dangerousness for intrafamilial child sexual abuse of fathers with a history of sexual offenses and paraphilic interests: Results from a survey of legal psychological experts”

BackgroundIntrafamilial child sexual abuse (ICSA) is a puzzling phenomenon that is not well understood by researches. Nevertheless, psychologists are demanded to assess the risk for child maltreatment by family courts regarding male caregivers with a history of sex offenses and/or paraphilic interests. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess legal psychological experts' perspective on risk assessment in family court proceedings regarding ICSA, their opinions regarding the necessity of contact limitations between fathers/stepfathers who might impose a risk for ICSA, and experts' stigmatization of minor-attracted persons. Participants and setting153 psychological experts working in family court proceedings were assessed via an online survey. MethodJahnke's Stigma Inventory was used as well as a questionnaire tapping into different contact limitations, the perception of child maltreatment risk, and parental capacity. Network analysis was conducted to multivariately investigate item intercorrelations. ResultsFathers/stepfathers with a diagnosed pedophilic disorder are being regarded as most dangerous, 71 % of the experts agreed with the necessity of a complete contact ban. Reduced parental capacity and increased risk for child maltreatment was observed with regard to sexual offending history and paraphilias. ConclusionsPsychological experts in family court proceedings hardly discriminate between sexual offending and paraphilic interests which might be associated with stigmatizing attitudes and lack of experience. An increasing cooperation between family psychologists and experts of forensic risk assessment might reduce the risk of stigmatization and may contribute to more adequate risk assessments for ICSA thus aiding to prevent children from sexual victimization or misinformed risk management interventions.

Intervention for modifying risk level of hypersexual behaviors among male parents with sexual offending history.

The increased sexual assault committed against women and young girls by people of the opposite gender has put their safety in danger in recent years. This has contributed to a growing number of adult sex offenders who have aggressive sexual attitudes. This study investigated the efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) in reducing the risk level of hypersexual behaviors among male parents. A total of convicted 48 inmates participated in this study. In pursuance of this aim, 3 dependent measures were employed in evaluating the participants' violent sexual attitudes at 3 points. The simple random technique was adopted in selecting 24 participants who participated in the CBT program while 24 participants were used as the no-intervention control group. The ANCOVA analysis shows a positive treatment outcome in reducing the risk level of hypersexual behaviors among male parents who participated in the CBT program when compared to the no-intervention control group. This study found that cognitive behavioral therapy intervention is a coping strategy for reducing hypersexual behaviors among male parents with sexual offending history in favor of participants in the intervention group at the 3 levels of assessments. The study showed a significant difference between groups in the risk level of hypersexual behaviors among male parents with a sexual offending history. Also, the result showed a significant interaction between time and treatment. Regarding the moderating impact of sexual behavior on the risk level of hypersexual behaviors. Given this, this study suggests that CBT intervention reduces the risk level of hypersexual behaviors among male parents. Implications for protection agencies and policies were highlighted.

Long Term Recidivism Rates Among Individuals at High Risk to Sexually Reoffend.

Preventive detention provisions in the US and Canada assume we can identify, in advance, individuals at high risk for sexual recidivism. To test this assumption, 377 adult males with a history of sexual offending were followed for 20years using Canadian national criminal history records and Internet searches. Using previously collected information, a high risk/high need (HRHN) subgroup was identified based on an unusually high levels of criminogenic needs (n = 190, average age of 38years; 83% White, 13% Indigenous, 4% other). A well above average subgroup of 99 individuals was then identified based on high Static-99R (6+) and Static-2002R (7+) scores. In the HRHN group, 40% reoffended sexually. STATIC HRHN norms overestimated sexual recidivism at 5years (Static-99R, E/O = 1.44; Static-2002R, E/O = 1.72) but were well calibrated for longer follow-up periods (20years: Static-99R, E/0 = 1.00; Static-2002R, E/O = 1.16). The overall sexual recidivism rate for the well above average subgroup was 52.1% after 20years, and 74.3% for any violent recidivism. The highest risk individuals (top 1%) had rates in the 60%-70% range. We conclude that some individuals present a high risk for sexual recidivism, and can be identified using currently available methods.

Viewing Time Measures of Sexual Interest and Sexual Offending Propensity: An Online Survey of Fathers

Relative viewing times (VTs)—time required to view and evaluate sexually salient images—discriminate individuals with a sexual interest in children, as indirectly indexed by their history of sexual offending against children, from those without such history. In an online sample of 652 fathers, we measured VTs and sexual attraction ratings to child and adult images. We assessed participants’ sexual offending history and propensity (self-reported likelihood to have a sexual contact with a child, a non-consensual sexual contact with an adult, and propensity toward father–daughter incest). In contrast with VT studies involving clinical or forensic samples, VTs and attraction ratings failed to discriminate participants with a sexual offending history. VTs successfully distinguished participants with a propensity to sexually offend against children but failed to identify those with a propensity toward incest. Conversely, attraction ratings distinguished participants with a propensity toward incest but failed to identify those with a propensity to sexually offend against children. Correlations between VTs and attraction ratings were small. Results illustrate, for the first time, the distribution of VT measures in community fathers, support the feasibility of online administration of VT tasks to detect propensity to sexually offend against children, and indicate that sexual interest in children and incest propensity are distinct.

Coping Using Sex, Health-Related Behaviors, and Mental Health During COVID-19 Lockdown in the UK

BackgroundPeoples' sexual behaviors have changed during the period of enforced COVID-19 social distancing, in some cases, to cope with negative feelings during lockdown. Research on coping using sex is relatively restricted to samples of men with a history of sexual offending, and it is unknown whether coping using sex is associated with health-related behaviors and mental health in the general population.AimWe examined if coping using sex before and during lockdown was associated with adverse outcomes (i.e., self-perceived reduction in health-related behaviors and mental health) in a community sample.HypothesesWe hypothesized that participants who reported greater use of sex to cope in the weeks preceding lockdown would show a greater decline in health-related behaviors and mental health during lockdown. Furthermore, that changes in coping using sex resulting from lockdown would account for further variance in the worsening of health-related behaviors and mental health.MethodsParticipants were UK residents, aged 18–60 years, and fluent in English. 789 participants completed an online survey, providing demographic information, self-reported social distancing, loneliness, and coping using sex over a 14-day period during lockdown, and retrospectively preceding lockdown.OutcomesParticipants reported perceived changes in health-related behaviors and mental health symptomatology during lockdown compared to before the pandemic. They also self-reported levels of stress, anxiety and depression during lockdown.ResultsGreater coping using sex prior to lockdown predicted positive change in health-related behaviors, for example, higher scores were associated with participants reporting having exercised and slept more. It was also associated with higher trait levels of anxiety, stress and depression during lockdown. Changes in coping using sex from before to during lockdown did not predict perceived changes in health related behaviors or mental health symptomatology.ConclusionsOverall, greater coping using sex prior to lockdown was associated with worse mental health symptomatology during lockdown (anxiety, depression and stress), however, it was also associated with perceived positive change in health-related behaviors compared with before lockdown. This suggests that coping using sex may be associated with negative emotional reactions during lockdown, but may also be linked with positive change in health-promoting behaviors.

Serious Mental Illness and Sexual Offending in Forensic Psychiatric Patients.

The role of serious mental illness among those who sexually offend is not well understood. We investigated clinical and risk-related areas of difference between male forensic psychiatric patients with (n = 86) and without (n = 245) a sexual offense history, including the age at which indications of mental disorder and criminal offending first emerged, from a registry of Ontario patients adjudicated Not Criminally Responsible on account of Mental Disorder (NCRMD) from 1999-2012. We further explored motivations for offending among a subset of patients deemed NCRMD for a sexual offense specifically (n = 41). While no differences were found in the age onset of illness or offending across those with and without a sexual offending history, the former group was rated as having higher levels of historical/static risk for violence. Forensic patients with a sexual offense history were also more likely to offend against a stranger, and less likely to offend against a family member. Sexual index offenses were psychotically-motivated in the majority of cases, but with a meaningful proportion appearing to reflect criminogenic motivations, especially substance use and paraphilic interests. Results suggest greater similarity than difference among forensic patients with and without a sexual offense history, but also highlight an important divergence from the literature showing that victims of sexual offenses are frequently known to the individual committing them.

Erectile Functioning as a Risk Factor for Committing a Sexual Offense?

Zhang et al1 describe the ethical dilemma associated with penile prosthesis implantation in men with a history of sexual offending. Focused mainly on penile prosthetic implantation, they suggest practical guidelines including a standardized questionnaire to screen for sexual violence and sexual addiction. However, a positive screening does not preclude a patient from surgical management of ED. What they suggest is that sexual counseling and psychiatric evaluation is rather aimed at reducing future risk of sexual violence through the assessment of psychosocial factors associated with the offense.

Sexual and Violent Recidivism of Empirically-Typed Individuals Convicted of Rape

Men convicted of rape are a heterogenous group among individuals with sexual offending history. This may contribute to the difficulty of establishing adequate treatment during institutionalization and preventing recidivism after release. Therefore, we aimed to identify an empirical typology of individuals convicted of rape based on (a) common criminological variables (age at first offense, number of prior convictions, relation to the victim), (b) offense behavior (alcoholization during the offense) and (c) clinical diagnoses (substance abuse and dependence, psychopathy, sexual sadism, Cluster B personality disorders, paraphilias, paraphilia-related disorders) associated with the risk of sexual offending. Data of N = 575 adult males with raping history were analyzed. We found four types with different profiles in the described variables: an antisocial impulsive, a sexualized, a highly violent and a non-criminal situational type. The types significantly varied in prognostic validity for violent, but not sexual, recidivism. Also, the typology exhibited a slightly higher predictive validity for violent recidivism than Static-99 scores. In contrast to Static-99, the typology failed to significantly predict sexual recidivism. Although the types explained more variance of violent recidivism than Static-99 scores, the value of applying a broad set of risk factors in contrast to combining only few are discussed.

Pornography Use, Offense-Supportive Cognitions, Atypical Sexual Interests, and Sexual Offending against Children

ABSTRACT The effects of pornography are hotly debated in the scientific literature, especially its potentially negative influence on sexual offending. While studies do not support direct effects of pornography use on sexual offending, pornography is hypothesized to have a catalytic effect among men who are predisposed to sexually offend due to the presence of other risk factors. Using a sample of 241 men varying in sexual offending history, this study examined the associations of different types of pornography consumption, offense-supportive cognitions, and atypical sexual interests on sexual offending against boys or girls. Bivariate analyses support the idea that people seek pornography that matches their sexual interests. Multivariate analyses revealed that the only type of pornography associated with contact sexual offending against boys or girls was child pornography, as it had incremental validity predicting number of victims beyond offense-supportive cognitions and atypical sexual interests. Moderation analyses suggested that, as hypothesized, child pornography consumption amplifies the effect of sexual interests for boys on sexual offending against boy victims. However, that moderation effect was not found for sexual offending against girls. Clinical and research implications are discussed, focusing on the importance of including measures of pornography consumption within forensic assessment and management protocols.

Sex Offense Management and Supervision: A Framework for Advancing Research and Evidence-Informed Practice

ABSTRACT Since the 1990s, the post-conviction management of individuals with histories of sexual offending has occupied a prominent place in U.S. criminal justice policy and practice. With over 200,000 such individuals under supervision nationwide, probation and parole agencies have deployed a range of specialized models of sex offender management and supervision (SOMS) to manage this “high stakes” population. Yet despite significant shifts in community supervision paradigms and research advances affecting SOMS practices over the past three decades, the body of research concerning the integration of evidence into these practices remains outdated and underdeveloped. In response to this need, the current article introduces the SOMS Framework, developed based on a multi-method investigation into the current state of SOMS practice. The framework aligns elements of the policy and practice environment with constructs elucidated through insights drawn from implementation science and knowledge utilization scholarship. Through this praxis orientation, the framework is intended to serve as a roadmap for use in the multiple contexts, including public policy development, agency-level planning and evaluation, and scholarly research.

Stable-2007 and indeterminate detention

Public safety is the primary reason to assess future risk in men with a history of sexual offending. Over the last twenty-five years our knowledge of, and ability to assess, dynamic risk factors in men with a history of sexual offending has meaningfully improved, but understanding, adoption, utilization, and reasonable implementation of the fruits of this new knowledge is not universal. This article presents a brief overview of the development of dynamic risk assessment for men with a history of sexual offending, primarily following the work of R. Karl Hanson and his associates. This is followed by a review of a meta-analysis on the reliability and validity of STABLE-2007 and two other independent studies that provide useful ancillary information. Utilizing STABLE-2007 with men faced with, or under sanction of indeterminate detention is the focus of this paper and we will review how mental health diagnoses affect recidivism assessment, some concerns about implicit assessment biases, how to employ stable dynamic assessment in secure facilities, address treatment implications resulting from dynamic assessment, and present ideas for future research. I will close by presenting nine (9) arguments why using STABLE-2007 is recommended practice with indeterminate detention populations.

Improving Our Risk Communication: Standardized Risk Levels for Brief Assessment of Recidivism Risk-2002R.

A Five-Level Risk and Needs system has been proposed as a common language for standardizing the meaning of risk levels across risk/need tools used in corrections. Study 1 examined whether the Five-Levels could be applied to BARR-2002R (N = 2,390), an actuarial tool for general recidivism. Study 2 examined the construct validity of BARR-2002R risk levels in two samples of individuals with a history of sexual offending (N = 1,081). Study 1 found reasonable correspondence between BARR-2002R scores and four of the five standardized risk levels (no Level V). Study 2 found that the profiles of individuals in Levels II, III, and IV were mostly consistent with expectations; however, individuals in the lowest risk level (Level I) had more criminogenic needs than expected based on the original descriptions of the Five-Levels. The Five-Level system was mostly successful when applied to BARR-2002R. Revisions to this system, or the inclusion of putatively dynamic risk factors and protective factors, may be required to improve alignment with the information provided by certain risk tools.

Attraction to Physical and Psychological Features of Children in Child-Attracted Persons

ABSTRACT In an online survey of 274 self-identified child-attracted persons (CAPs), we examined the attraction ratings given to sets of 9 physical and 12 psychological features of children, and asked CAPs to identify additional features that were not listed. We also examined the relationships between these attraction ratings and attraction to children dimensions (age mono-/polymorphism, exclusivity of attraction to children, and gender attraction), history of falling in love with a child, and detected sexual offending history. There was relatively little differentiation across physical features and psychological features; all averages were approximately 4 or higher on a 5-point scale. Attraction ratings were mostly weakly and inconsistently related to our other study variables. The exception was that CAPs who had fallen in love with a child rated 11 out of 12 psychological features as more attractive than CAPs who had not fallen in love with a child, with small to moderate effect sizes. These two groups did not differ in ratings for physical features. Our qualitative content analysis of participant-suggested features revealed six physical themes (inter alia, face and head, children’s bodies) and five psychological themes (inter alia, personality, harmlessness) that were important to CAPs’ attraction to children.

Self-harm and suicidality among three subgroups of male sex offenders: results from an Australian prisoner cohort

ObjectivePrisoners complete suicide and self-harm more frequently than members of the community. Sex offenders have been found to be at greater risk of engaging in these behaviours. This study examines the characteristics, prevalence, and predictors of self-harm and suicide attempts among: sex offenders that only victimise children (ChildSOs); adults (AdultSOs); or both (age-crossover polymorphous; PolySOs).MethodsData from three waves (1996, 2001, 2009) of the New South Wales (NSW) Inmate Health Survey was linked to the State’s re-offending database to identify men with histories of sexual offending. The health surveys captured self-report data on self-harm and suicidality.ResultsNon-sexual violent offenders (15%) and AdultSOs (14%) had the highest rate of self-harm, significantly more than ChildSOs (11%), non-sexual non-violent offenders (10%), and PolySOs (0%). Several factors significantly predicted self-harm at the bivariate level for both ChildSOs and AdultSOs, with unique predictors for each group. At the multivariate level, manic-depression trended towards significance for ChildSOs and any mental health condition remained a significant predictor for AdultSOs who self-harmed relative to AdultSOs who had not (aOR = 11.989, 95%CI [1.14, 126.66]). Approximately 23% of AdultSOs, 22% of PolySOs, and 19% of ChildSOs reported a suicide attempt throughout their lifetime, whereas only 15% of non-sexual non-violent offenders reported an attempt. At the bivariate level, few factors were significant for ChildSOs while several factors were significant for AdultSOs. At the multivariate level, a diagnosis of depression and treatment with psychiatric medication trended towards being significant predictors of suicide attempts for ChildSOs. In contrast, treatment with psychiatric medication (aOR = 25.732, 95%CI [1.91, 347.19])] remained a significant predictor for AdultSOs who attempted suicide relative to AdultSOs who had not, as well as historical psychiatric hospitalisation (aOR = 6.818, 95%CI [1.04, 44.82]) and self-harm (aOR = 5.825, 95%CI [1.31, 25.99]).ConclusionSex offenders are at significantly higher risk of attempting and completing suicide relative to non-sexual non-violent offenders and warrant special attention. The prevalence rates and predictors of self-harm and suicidality suggest differences between sex offender subgroups may exist. These hold implications for the criminal justice and public health systems for addressing needs and identifying those most at risk of self-harm and suicide.

The Prevalence of Sexual Interest in Children and Sexually Harmful Behavior Self-Reported by Men Recruited Through an Online Crowdsourcing Platform.

This study examined the feasibility of using crowdsourcing to recruit men who self-report sexual interest in children or sexually problematic behavior involving children. Crowdsourcing refers to the use of the internet to reach a large number of people to complete a specific task. A nonrepresentative sample of men (N = 997) participated in a brief self-report survey examining age of attraction, sexual interest in children, proclivity toward sexual offenses involving children, and history of sexual offending. Almost a quarter of the sample (23.1%) indicated some degree of sexual interest in children, propensity to sexually offend against children, and/or actual offending behavior. We present our data broken down by type of interest or behavior and examine the frequency of these outcomes. Findings are likely to be of value to those considering the viability of crowdsourcing to overcome the limitations or challenges of face-to-face research on stigmatizing interests and behaviors. Findings also contribute to estimating prevalence of self-reported sexual interest in children, and sexual offending behavior toward children, across different countries.

High-psychopathy men with a history of sexual offending have protective factors too: But are these risk relevant and can they change in treatment?

Psychopathy is a serious personality disorder reputed for resistance to correctional and forensic mental health treatment and synonymous with being high risk for different recidivism outcomes; it is not readily associated with an abundance of positive qualities or protective factors. Research has yet to examine the presence of protective factors as a function of psychopathy in correctional samples and the risk-relevance of protective factors for high-psychopathy men. The present study examined the association of psychopathy and protective factors to recidivism in a Canadian sample of 461 men who attended sexual-offense-specific treatment and followed up nearly 10-year postrelease. The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare, The Hare psychopathy-checklist-revised, 1991; Hare, Manual for the revised psychopathy checklist, 2003) and the Structured Assessment of Protective Factors (SAPROF; de Vogel et al., The International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 2011, 10, 171) were rated from institutional files and recidivism data were obtained from official criminal records. PCL-R scores were inversely related to SAPROF scores; however, even men scoring high on the PCL-R made significant pre-post changes on protective factors. PCL-R and SAPROF scores predicted sexual, violent, and general recidivism; treatment-related changes in protective factors, controlling for PCL-R score, were significantly associated with decreased violent recidivism. Protective factors can and do change with purposive change agents (e.g., correctional treatment), even among individuals with substantial psychopathic traits. The role and risk relevance of protective factors in sexual violence risk assessment and management with high psychopathy clientele are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

“Mixed” Sexual Offending Against Both Children and Adults: An Empirical Comparison With Individuals Who Exclusively Offended Against Child or Adult Victims

Individuals who sexually offended against both children and adults might be particularly dangerous. However, studies on this group are rare due to methodological difficulties. We investigated adverse childhood experiences, criminological variables, and other characteristics as well as recidivism in individuals who sexually offended against mixed-aged victims (ISOMAVs) compared to individuals who exclusively offended against adults (ISOAs) or children (ISOCs). Compared to previous studies, we applied more stringent classification criteria by including only individuals with at least two past sexual offenses. Analyses revealed that ISOMAVs more often had an extensive history of sexual offending. In addition, they were more likely than ISOAs to assault males, and more likely than ISOCs to assault strangers. Violent reoffending was more common in ISOMAVs compared to ISOCs, but ISOMAVs showed no more sexual recidivism. Other findings, limitations, and implications for research and practice are discussed.

Identifying factors that may influence professional attributions’ towards adolescents with a history of sexual offending: A systematic review

For individuals with a history of sexual offending, adolescence has been highlighted as a critical period for intervention, and professional attributions’ have been shown to impact the efficacy of such interventions. The purpose of this review was to systematically identify and critically review studies, which look at professionals working with adolescents with a history of sexual offending (HSO), to explore possible factors that may influence professional attributions, to provide a starting point for future research. Four papers were selected for the systematic review according to the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Eight factors emerged that indicated relevance towards professional attributions: professionals’ (1) experience, (2) training, (3) personal history, (4) degree of psychological knowledge, (5) ethnicity and (6) gender; and the adolescent’s (7) age and (8) personal history. Directions for future research are discussed, along with the importance of formulation and training in forensic practice.