scholarly journals Development of a Case Formulation Model for Individuals Who Have Viewed, Distributed, and/or Shared Child Sexual Exploitation Material

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (10-11) ◽  
pp. 1055-1073 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah L. Merdian ◽  
Derek E. Perkins ◽  
Elspeth Dustagheer ◽  
Emily Glorney
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Sexual History ◽  
Case Formulation ◽  
Developmental Context ◽  
Treatment Providers ◽  
Child Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Internet Environment ◽  
Offending Behaviour ◽  
The Individual

Increases in the number of arrests of individuals who download or distribute Child Sexual Exploitation Material (CSEM) have highlighted a need to further understand the offending pathways of this offender group. This article describes the development of an aetiological model specific to CSEM offending. Individuals who had viewed, distributed, and/or shared CSEM ( n = 20) were interviewed regarding their life and sexual history, relationships, substance use, offending details, and circumstances leading to their CSEM offending, resulting in seven superordinate themes: Developmental Context, Individual Propensities (risk-related and risk-protective) and Psychological Vulnerabilities, Personal Circumstances, Permission-Giving Thoughts, Internet Environment and Behaviour, Evaluation of Consequences for the Individual, and Desistance. These themes were combined into a case formulation tool specific for CSEM offending behaviour, with the aim of providing systematic guidance for assessment and treatment providers.

scholarly journals Dynamic Risk Factors and their Utilisation in Case Formulation: A New Conceptual Framework

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lauren Palmer
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Sexual Offenders ◽  
Case Formulation ◽  
Dynamic Risk Factors ◽  
Dynamic Risk ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Forensic Case ◽  
Reducing Recidivism ◽  
Offending Behaviour ◽  
The Individual

<p>The social pressure on policy makers and clinicians working with sexual offenders to reduce recidivism is extreme. A result of this pressure is the amount of research investigating risk-related features that has surged over the last few decades. Risk assessment has progressed from unstructured clinical judgement to development of risk factors that correlate with recidivism to predict levels of risk, and more recently, to forensic case formulation. This thesis concentrates on two key issues with forensic case formulation that has been largely neglected thus far. First, forensic case formulations rely heavily on the use of dynamic risk factors as causes of offending. The concern is that dynamic risk factors are composite constructs not causal mechanisms. Second, forensic case formulation models do not explain how to use an offender’s information and their risk factors to hypothesise about the cause of their offending leading to issues of reliability. To address these issues, the RECFM consists of five phases that guides clinicians on how to appropriately use forensic case formulation. The Risk Etiology Case Formulation Model (RECFM) aims to incorporate a reconceptualised version of dynamic risk factors using an Agency Model to identify the interaction of agent and context that causes offending behaviour. By using the RECFM, treatment can be targeted to the individual and their specific causes of offending, which will lead to better results in reducing recidivism. The aim of this thesis is to provide a forensic case formulation model is comprehensible for clinicians and that targets the causes of offending.</p>

scholarly journals Fantasy-Driven Versus Contact-Driven Users of Child Sexual Exploitation Material: Offender Classification and Implications for Their Risk Assessment

Sexual Abuse ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 230-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah L. Merdian ◽  
Nima Moghaddam ◽  
Douglas P. Boer ◽  
Nick Wilson ◽  
Jo Thakker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Sex Offender ◽  
Sexual Interest ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Offender Treatment ◽  
Treatment Providers ◽  
Child Sexual Exploitation ◽  
A Minor

Since the advent of the Internet, convictions for the possession, display, trading, and distribution of child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) have risen steadily, but little is known about their appropriate assessment and treatment, especially concerning their risk of reoffending. It has been suggested that a conceptual distinction of fantasy- versus contact-driven CSEM users might be of merit. Sixty-eight offenders recruited from sex offender treatment providers were assessed via an anonymous computer survey including a variety of clinical and risk-related variables; the findings showed differences in the psychological profiles between CSEM users and contact child sex offenders. Numerical and spatial methods of data analysis were used to identify subgroups of CSEM users; these confirmed the twofold distinction of fantasy- versus contact-driven offending. The spatial representation of participants identified three dimensions as crucial in the classification of these subgroups: direct sexual contact with a minor, possession of fantasy-generating material, and social contact with other users with a sexual interest in minors; potentially differentiating distinct offender subgroups with different risks and needs. The current study informed the development of an empirical model of CSEM users that could aid in the assessment of risk of reoffending and cross-over to contact sex offending.

scholarly journals Dynamic Risk Factors and their Utilisation in Case Formulation: A New Conceptual Framework

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lauren Palmer
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Sexual Offenders ◽  
Case Formulation ◽  
Dynamic Risk Factors ◽  
Dynamic Risk ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Forensic Case ◽  
Reducing Recidivism ◽  
Offending Behaviour ◽  
The Individual

<p>The social pressure on policy makers and clinicians working with sexual offenders to reduce recidivism is extreme. A result of this pressure is the amount of research investigating risk-related features that has surged over the last few decades. Risk assessment has progressed from unstructured clinical judgement to development of risk factors that correlate with recidivism to predict levels of risk, and more recently, to forensic case formulation. This thesis concentrates on two key issues with forensic case formulation that has been largely neglected thus far. First, forensic case formulations rely heavily on the use of dynamic risk factors as causes of offending. The concern is that dynamic risk factors are composite constructs not causal mechanisms. Second, forensic case formulation models do not explain how to use an offender’s information and their risk factors to hypothesise about the cause of their offending leading to issues of reliability. To address these issues, the RECFM consists of five phases that guides clinicians on how to appropriately use forensic case formulation. The Risk Etiology Case Formulation Model (RECFM) aims to incorporate a reconceptualised version of dynamic risk factors using an Agency Model to identify the interaction of agent and context that causes offending behaviour. By using the RECFM, treatment can be targeted to the individual and their specific causes of offending, which will lead to better results in reducing recidivism. The aim of this thesis is to provide a forensic case formulation model is comprehensible for clinicians and that targets the causes of offending.</p>

scholarly journals From Research to Practice: Designing a Treatment Program for Individuals Convicted of Child Sexual Exploitation Material

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 8-19
Author(s):  
Allen Azizian
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Sexual Offense ◽  
Clinical Team ◽  
Research To Practice ◽  
Treatment Processes ◽  
Child Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Treatment Manuals

The term evidence-based is increasingly found in treatment manuals and program titles designed for individuals convicted of a sexual offense. However, whether the presented evidence truly qualifies as “evidence-based” is questionable. I will share my experience as the clinical director for a private outpatient agency where we designed a program based on the existing peer-reviewed literature on individuals convicted of Child Sexual Exploitation Material (CSEM) offenses. I will describe the steps that we followed in developing a workgroup to explore and apply the knowledge from research to our clinical practice. We adapted the term evidence-informed to acknowledge that the program relied on existing literature in combination with the experiences and expertise of our clinical team. A fictitious case that reflects an amalgamation of facts is presented to demonstrate the assessment and treatment processes. Implications for organizational consensus to conduct program evaluation and research are discussed.

Conclusion: child sexual exploitation – agency, abuse and exchange

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Hallett
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Young People ◽  
Unmet Needs ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Child Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Care Relationships ◽  
The Individual

In this chapter, the three key arguments made throughout the book are drawn together. First, CSE is wider than the individual instances of sexual exploitation or sexually exploitative relationships, and ‘care’ (relationships, systems and acts) sits at the crux of the problem of CSE. Second, conceptions of CSE may be problematic for young people, particularly with regards to understanding and framing young people’s agency, and the chapter considers the implications that this has for responses to the problem. Third, intrinsic to CSE is the element of exchange, and underpinning this is the meeting (and exploitation) of unmet needs. This concluding chapter suggests how this approach provides a way of making sense of both young people’s agency, and the abuse they experience, through exchanging sex. It concludes by arguing that the language and concept of ‘CSE’ is both narrow and narrowing, misdirecting the focus of the problem, serving to exclude some young people while also having serious implications for responses to and interventions for CSE and other forms of sexual abuse.

Making Sense of Child Sexual Exploitation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Hallett
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Critical Perspective ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Child Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Childhood Care ◽  
The Social ◽  
Experienced Child ◽  
The Individual

This important book puts forward the rarely heard voices of children and young people who have experienced child sexual exploitation (CSE) and the professionals who have worked with them. CSE is now high on the social care agenda, but what is child sexual exploitation? How is it different from other forms of child sexual abuse? Hallett takes a critical perspective and argues that we need to use the exchange model - lost in the current focus on grooming - to answer these questions. She considers the problems that arise with conflating ‘child sexual exploitation’ with ‘grooming’ and the implications for the ways in which we respond to CSE and for the individual children and young people caught up in it. Central to the discussion are themes such as youth, childhood, care and power, making for an important sociological contribution to this under-researched field, whilst also providing new and valuable practice and policy relevant insights into this issue. The book challenges the dominant way of thinking about CSE and is essential reading for those working or training to work with children and young people.

scholarly journals Child sexual exploitation and youth offending: A research note

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 689-700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ella Cockbain ◽  
Helen Brayley
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Youth Justice ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Recidivism Rates ◽  
Child Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Preliminary Research ◽  
Female Offending ◽  
Offending Behaviour ◽  
The Uk

Links between child sexual exploitation (CSE) and youth offending should be better recognised, according to these preliminary research findings from the UK. Data from a leading CSE service provider and Youth Offending Team were analysed for the period 2001–2010 inclusive. Of CSE victims, 40 percent had offending records and recidivism rates were high. Together they committed 1586 offences – 5 percent of all local youth crime. Male and female offending behaviour differed significantly. The types of offences identified were potentially symptomatic of CSE. Referral to CSE services typically post-dated arrest, indicating that children were recognised first as offenders. Challenges in researching the interactions between these two complex issues are discussed. This study has important implications for youth justice policy and practice, both nationally and internationally.

THE METHODS OF A RESEARCH OF PROCESSES OF SPONTANEOUS SOCIALIZATION BASED ON NONCLASSICAL APPROACH

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 34-38
Author(s):  
Abashina A.D.
Keyword(s):  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Social Situation ◽  
Subject Domain ◽  
Child Research ◽  
Research Problems ◽  
Internet Environment ◽  
Anthropological Approach ◽  
Research Complex ◽  
Methodological Approaches ◽  
The Individual

Relevance and statement of a problem. Now processes of socialization of younger generation undergo profound changes. They are characterized by transformation of space-time characteristics – narrowing of the field purposeful, expansion of processes of spontaneous socialization. At the same time the methodological approaches and methods of a research aimed at the analysis of the static phenomena applied in pedagogics become insufficient for a research of chaotic processes. There is a need for search of methodology and methods of a research within which the analysis of processes of spontaneous socialization of modern children and teenagers is possible. Research search shows that the solution of this task is possible on the basis of nonclassical methodological approach. Research objective: identification of opportunities of nonclassical methodology for a research of processes of spontaneous socialization of the modern child. Research problems: representation of the methods in logic of nonclassical methodology aimed at the analysis of these processes. Object and subject of research: the situation of development of the child which is characterized by experiences concerning the relations and readiness for an exception of social interaction in various spheres of activity and immersion in the Internet environment. Subject domain of a research: complex of the relations which are the cornerstone of purposeful and spontaneous socialization of the teenager. Research methodology - nonclassical (anthropological) approach. Research materials. In the course of work on a problem the research methods based mainly on the individual and communicative practicians aimed at the analysis of experiences and communication of the child were developed. Results of a research. The qualitative methods based nonclassical approach will allow to understand not only experiences of the child, but also as negative trends under what conditions they lead to break in relations and to search of significant network contacts that is under what conditions processes of purposeful socialization are weakened collect in his social situation of development, extend borders of socialization spontaneous.

Profiling Darkweb Child Sexual Exploitation Material Forum Members Using Longitudinal Posting History Data

2021 ◽  
pp. 089443932199489
Author(s):  
Madeleine van der Bruggen ◽  
Arjan Blokland
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
English Language ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Communication Patterns ◽  
Developmental Pathways ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
History Data ◽  
Trajectory Modeling ◽  
Child Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Observation Period

Darkweb fora dedicated to the illegal exchange of child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) continue to thrive. Profiling forum members based on their communication patterns will increase our insights in the dynamics of online CSEM and may aid law enforcement to identify those members who are most influential and pose the highest risk. The current study uses data from a large English language Darkweb CSEM forum that was active between 2010 and 2014, containing over 400,000 posts. Posts were time stamped, categorized based on subforum topic, and linked to individual forum members by nickname. Group-based trajectory modeling was subsequently applied to derive forum member profiles based on members’ posting history. Analyses show that over the course of the observation period, overall activity levels—in terms of total number of posting members and the average number of posts per month per member—fluctuate substantially and that multiple developmental pathways—in terms of monthly patterns in the frequency of posts by individual members—can be distinguished. Theoretical and practical ramifications of these findings are discussed.

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