scholarly journals Caregivers’ Considerations of Remorse and Responsibility Among Youth Who Sexually Offend

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110428
Author(s):  
Christine L. M. Gervais ◽  
Matthew S. Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Restorative Practices ◽  
Youth Offenders ◽  
Offending Behavior ◽  
Public Scrutiny ◽  
Sexually Offended

When a youth sexually offends, most of the reactions and repercussions that follow are understandably negative. However, there is limited research about mixed reactions involving remorse and responsibility on the part of the adolescent who offended and their relatives. Based on qualitative interviews with 16 caregivers among 10 families in Canada, this article presents the parents’ perspectives on the various processes, benefits, challenges, and outcomes related to expressions of remorse and experiences of responsibility among youth who sexually offended, their victims, and their parents. This study sheds particular light on how adolescent perpetrators of sexual harm and especially their caregivers do feel deeply remorseful and responsible for the impacts of sexual offending behavior, which is contrary to public scrutiny that negatively projects responsibility onto youth offenders and their parents. Thus, our findings emphasize the constructive and considerate ways in which remorse is felt and responsibility is assumed; and by extension, they point to the importance of restorative practices in efforts toward reconciliation and accountability.

scholarly journals Sex Offenses Perpetrated Against Older Adults: A Multivariate Analysis of Crime Scene Behaviors

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052092863
Author(s):  
Louise Almond ◽  
Martha Sainsbury ◽  
Michelle McManus
Keyword(s):  
Sexually Abused ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Crime Scene ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Background Characteristics ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Female Victims ◽  
Sexual Offenses ◽  
Offending Behavior ◽  
The Relationship

The aim of this study was to thematically explore the relationship between crime scene behaviors and background characteristics of offenders who commit sexual offenses against female victims aged 60 years or more. Research and understanding of offense behaviors in this area is extremely limited; therefore, the study sought to provide a preliminary understanding and multivariate model of offense behaviors in cases where older female adults were sexually abused. Twenty-seven crime scene behaviors from 143 rape or attempted rape cases of an older adult victim were analyzed; frequency data were computed to provide base rate information, and Smallest Space Analysis provided a visual representation of the co-occurrence of crime scene behaviors. Three distinct dominant themes were identified, in which 56% of offenses displayed themes of Involvement (22%), Control (17%), and Hostility (16%). The relationship between each dominant theme and selected background characteristics was then analyzed. For example, offenders displaying an Involvement theme were found to be significantly less likely to have prior convictions. Significance was also found in the relationship between dominant themes and a “theft and kindred offence other” preconviction background characteristic. The findings demonstrate offending behavior can be separated into three distinct themes, providing an explanation of offender subtypes and supporting previous models found in other types of sexual offending. Applications for law enforcement agencies regarding identified themes and links with likely offender background characteristics are highlighted. Limitations and future research avenues are discussed.

scholarly journals Challenges of Effective Communication in the Criminal Justice Process: Findings from Interviews with Victims of Sexual Offences in Australia

Laws ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Rhiannon Davies ◽  
Lorana Bartels
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Effective Communication ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Sexual Offences ◽  
Justice Process ◽  
Criminal Justice Process

This article focuses on gendered experiences of the criminal justice system, specifically the experiences of adult female victims of sexual offending and the communication difficulties they experience during the criminal justice process. Drawing on the findings from qualitative interviews about sentencing with six victims and 15 justice professionals in Australia, we compare the lived experiences of the victims with the perceptions of the justice professionals who work with them, revealing a significant gap between the information justice professionals believe they are providing and the information victims recall receiving. We then analyse the international literature to distil effective communication strategies, with the goal of improving victims’ experiences of the criminal justice system as a whole. Specifically, we recommend verbal communication skills training for justice professionals who work with victims of crime and the development of visual flowcharts to help victims better understand the criminal justice process. We also recommend that Australian victims’ rights regimes be reformed to place the responsibility for providing information about the criminal process on the relevant justice agencies, rather than requiring the victim to seek this information, and suggest piloting automated notification systems to help agencies fulfil their obligations to provide victims with such information.

A Chip Off the Old Block: The Impact of Fathers on Sexual Offending Behavior

2020 ◽  
pp. 152483801989846
Author(s):  
Miranda H. Sitney ◽  
Keith L. Kaufman
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Risk Markers ◽  
Prevention Programming ◽  
Systematic Account ◽  
Juvenile Sexual Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offenses ◽  
Offending Behavior ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Impact

While parenting factors are commonly included as early risk markers for sexual aggression, data specific to paternal impacts on sexual offending are scattered. This review provides a thorough and systematic account of what is known regarding the fathers of sexual offenders. Thirty-four studies were categorized according to four distinct research questions, each addressing theoretical mechanisms by which fathers may influence the violent sexual behavior of their sons. The results suggest that the strongest impacts occur when sons are witness to their fathers engaging in acts of sexual abuse or domestic violence, in accordance with social learning theory. Father–son attachment or relationship quality also appears to have a measurable impact on the son’s engagement in sexual violence. However, paternal demographics and characteristics were generally ineffective at predicting sons’ sexual offenses. Finally, the differences between fathers of adult and juvenile sexual offenders are explored. Implications of those findings for research and applied interventions are included as they may be informative for prevention programming.

Covariates of the Severity of Aggression in Sexual Crimes: Psychopathy and Borderline Characteristics

Sexual Abuse ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Cardona ◽  
Ariel K. Berman ◽  
Judith E. Sims-Knight ◽  
Raymond A. Knight
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Emotional Dysregulation ◽  
Emotional Instability ◽  
Sexual Crimes ◽  
Psychopathy Checklist ◽  
Psychopathy Checklist Revised ◽  
Sexually Offended

Whereas risk assessment literature on sexual offending has primarily focused on prediction of subsequent sexual crimes, and not the severity of those crimes, the first aim of the present study was to identify variables that predict the amount of damage to victims in sexual crimes compared with those that predict general aggressiveness. The second aim was to ascertain whether adding emotional instability measurements, as in borderline personality disorder (BPD), would add incremental variance to that captured by the facets of the Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R). Trained raters assessed on the PCL-R, BPD, and measures of severity of sexual and nonsexual violence 302 adults who had sexually offended. PCL-R’s Antisociality and two externalizing BPD factors (one from the standard and one from the alternative criteria) were significant predictors of violence both in sexual and nonsexual crimes. In contrast, deficits in the PCL-R’s Affective facet (2) predicted victim damage in sexual contexts only, whereas the Lifestyle Impulsivity facet (3) of the PCL-R predicted violence in nonsexual contexts only. These findings suggest that adding measures of emotional dysregulation to commonly used instruments like the PCL-R, which assesses callousness and antisociality, may be beneficial for predicting violence.

Exploring the Relationship Between Major Mental Illness and Sex Offending Behavior in a High-Risk Population

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 290-309
Author(s):  
Sharon M. Kelley ◽  
David Thornton ◽  
Ryan Mattek ◽  
Letitia Johnson ◽  
Gina Ambroziak
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
High Risk Population ◽  
Sex Offenses ◽  
Offending Behavior ◽  
Criminogenic Needs ◽  
The Relationship

Empirically supported risk factors are predictive of sexual re-offense regardless of whether individuals suffer from a major mental illness. A small subgroup of individuals with major mental illness may be more likely to demonstrate acute psychotic symptoms at the time of their sexual offending behavior (Smith & Taylor, 1999). This study reviewed archival data from a high-risk sample to identify 55 individuals with major mental illness who had committed a total of 176 sex offenses. The relationship between acute psychiatric symptoms and criminogenic needs was explored. Most sex offenses were not temporally related to acute psychiatric symptoms. The apparent effect of mental health symptoms on criminogenic factors over the individual’s life was rated. Where acute symptoms were associated with worsened criminogenic factors, this most often involved Grievance Thinking, Poor Emotional Control, and Poor Problem-Solving. Typologies emerged based on the pattern of criminogenic needs along with demographic and offense characteristics. Assessment and treatment implications are discussed.

Autism, sexual offending, and the criminal justice system

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 116-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Clark Mogavero
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Behavior ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Offending Behavior ◽  
Deviant Sexual Behavior

Purpose There has been growing concern among stakeholders about individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and sex offending as research supports an indirect association. The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, bring more awareness of the sexuality and deviant/criminal sexual behavior among those with ASD to stakeholders in the criminal justice system (CJS); second, demonstrate that much of the deviant or sexual offending behavior exhibited among those with ASD is often a manifestation of their ASD symptoms and not malice; and third, demonstrate the necessity to address specific needs of individuals with ASD who enter the CJS due to criminal sexual behavior. Design/methodology/approach This paper provides an overview of the ASD symptomology, including the diagnostic changes, a review of the literature on ASD and sexuality, which includes deviant sexual behavior and sexual offending. Findings The author linked examples of deviant or sexual behavior in the research literature to the ASD symptomology and described how the symptomology explains such behavior. Originality/value Sexual offending among those with ASD has received little research outside the mental health field. This review is of particular importance to those in the CJS unfamiliar with ASD, as they should handle them differently with regard to formal interviewing, measures of competency, capacity, and sentencing.

scholarly journals Policing in a Time of Austerity: Understanding the Public Protection Paradox through Qualitative Interviews with Police Monitoring Officers

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 630-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Mann ◽  
Priya Devendran ◽  
Samantha Lundrigan
Keyword(s):  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offenders ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Detrimental Effect ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Professional Standards ◽  
The Public ◽  
Collaborative Working ◽  
Working Practices

Abstract This article examines the changing nature of public protection police work in a climate of continued austerity and increasing prosecutions for sexual offending, which have made a significant impact on the workloads of police teams who manage and monitor registered sexual offenders in the community. This increase has run parallel to a decrease in the general policing budget, which has seen it cut by an average of 22% across England and Wales [BBC. (2017). Utilizing data from observations and in-depth qualitative interviews with police officers from a force in England, this article highlights the effect which cost-saving measures have had on the professional standards of the police service in the management of sex offenders; how collaborative working practices have been hindered by these austerity measures, and finally how continual cuts have had a detrimental effect on the police’s ability to protect the public.

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