scholarly journals The Conceptualisation of Risk and Protective Factors in Child Sex Offenders: A Preliminary Theoretical Model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Roxanne Heffernan
Keyword(s):  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Dynamic Risk Factors ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Composite Nature

<p>The current preoccupation of criminal justice practitioners and policy makers with the prediction of criminal risk has resulted in a conceptualisation of risk as clusters of phenomena that correlate with recidivism. A reliance on these phenomena as explanations for the causes of sexual offending is a mistake. The growing gap between theory and practice highlights the need for theoretical models that can account for the existence and influence of risk-related factors. Two key issues that need to be addressed concern the composite nature of dynamic risk factors, and questions over their ontological status, that is, whether or not they exist outside of prediction contexts. This thesis begins with an exploration and reconceptualisation of the phenomena that increase and decrease risk of sexual offending; the focus is then widened to include human agency, motivation, and values. These normative features are integrated with risk-related factors within the action-based Agency Model of Risk (AMR). This dynamic, interactional model highlights the importance of the relationship between the agent and their context, with both contributing to the patterns of behaviour that lead to an offence. Finally the AMR is applied to a number of risk domains for sexual offenders, and its utility in explaining their behaviour is discussed. The aim of this thesis is to encourage a broader focus on human values, agency, and contexts that influence an individual’s goal-directed behaviour.</p>

scholarly journals The Conceptualisation of Risk and Protective Factors in Child Sex Offenders: A Preliminary Theoretical Model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Roxanne Heffernan
Keyword(s):  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Dynamic Risk Factors ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Composite Nature

<p>The current preoccupation of criminal justice practitioners and policy makers with the prediction of criminal risk has resulted in a conceptualisation of risk as clusters of phenomena that correlate with recidivism. A reliance on these phenomena as explanations for the causes of sexual offending is a mistake. The growing gap between theory and practice highlights the need for theoretical models that can account for the existence and influence of risk-related factors. Two key issues that need to be addressed concern the composite nature of dynamic risk factors, and questions over their ontological status, that is, whether or not they exist outside of prediction contexts. This thesis begins with an exploration and reconceptualisation of the phenomena that increase and decrease risk of sexual offending; the focus is then widened to include human agency, motivation, and values. These normative features are integrated with risk-related factors within the action-based Agency Model of Risk (AMR). This dynamic, interactional model highlights the importance of the relationship between the agent and their context, with both contributing to the patterns of behaviour that lead to an offence. Finally the AMR is applied to a number of risk domains for sexual offenders, and its utility in explaining their behaviour is discussed. The aim of this thesis is to encourage a broader focus on human values, agency, and contexts that influence an individual’s goal-directed behaviour.</p>

Sex Offender Registration: Implications and Difficulties for Ireland

2000 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Marie McAlinden
Keyword(s):  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offenders ◽  
Sex Offender ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Social Constructionist ◽  
Sex Offender Registration ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
Justice Process ◽  
Criminal Justice Process ◽  
The Media

This paper explores the implications and difficulties of a system of sex offender registration for the two jurisdictions of Ireland. From the orthodox perspective, registration appears justified. Sexual offending has increase and this is used by the media to generate a ‘moral panic’. However, in terms of Blumer's (1971) developmental perspective, sexual offenders in the community have been socially constructed in Ireland, as a problem requiring specific action. This perspective most adequately explains the formulation of legislation. Arguments expounded in favour of registration include the supposedly high recidivism among sex offenders, the inadequacy of supervision provisions and the resulting need to ‘track’ the offender for public protection. Yet a plethora of obstacles which were not considered at the time the legislation was being formulated, such as cost and inadequate policing resources, may impede its effectiveness in aiding law enforcement and reduce it to symbolic significance only. Given these difficulties, I argue that registration is not an appropriate response to the problem of released sexual offenders in Ireland. Rather, from the social constructionist perspective, I suggest that it is better to ‘treat’ the sex offender through less formal and stringent means in the community, away from the criminal justice process.

A Preliminary Descriptive Model of Expertise Related Competence in Child Sexual Offending

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Patrice A Bourke
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Sexual Offender ◽  
Developmental Model ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Offender Rehabilitation

<p>Child sexual offending is a great area of concern to the public and researchers alike. The damaging effects of Child Sexual Abuse are numerous and frequently enduring. Research in sexual offending has tended to focus on therapeutic interventions and effectiveness as well as the aetiological aspects of offending. Much of this research has focused on offender deficits associated with sexual crimes that are the target of intervention programs. There has been little attention paid to the view that sexual offenders appear to learn from their previous offending and in some cases acquire a considerable degree of offence related competency. In other words, some sexual offenders appear to develop high levels of expertise. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are 'expert' offenders within the child sexual offending arena who display greater competence in utilising grooming techniques, selecting targets, interpreting and evaluating social and environmental cues, and who possess extensive offence scripts. In this exploratory study, 47 male child sexual offenders were interviewed in New Zealand prison based Sexual Offender Rehabilitation Units about their offences as well as their lives prior to and post offending. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using Grounded Theory to generate a model of offence specific decision making. Results indicated that child sex offenders vary on the above dimensions and effectively span the range from 'novice' to 'expert' offenders with respect to the quality of their decision making and their domain relevant knowledge structures. By using the general principles of expertise as a conceptual framework, a developmental model of expertise in child sex offenders in New Zealand was constructed. The implications of the constructed model for theory and treatment are discussed and suggestions are made for the direction of future research.</p>

A Preliminary Descriptive Model of Expertise Related Competence in Child Sexual Offending

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Patrice A Bourke
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Sexual Offender ◽  
Developmental Model ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Offender Rehabilitation

<p>Child sexual offending is a great area of concern to the public and researchers alike. The damaging effects of Child Sexual Abuse are numerous and frequently enduring. Research in sexual offending has tended to focus on therapeutic interventions and effectiveness as well as the aetiological aspects of offending. Much of this research has focused on offender deficits associated with sexual crimes that are the target of intervention programs. There has been little attention paid to the view that sexual offenders appear to learn from their previous offending and in some cases acquire a considerable degree of offence related competency. In other words, some sexual offenders appear to develop high levels of expertise. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are 'expert' offenders within the child sexual offending arena who display greater competence in utilising grooming techniques, selecting targets, interpreting and evaluating social and environmental cues, and who possess extensive offence scripts. In this exploratory study, 47 male child sexual offenders were interviewed in New Zealand prison based Sexual Offender Rehabilitation Units about their offences as well as their lives prior to and post offending. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using Grounded Theory to generate a model of offence specific decision making. Results indicated that child sex offenders vary on the above dimensions and effectively span the range from 'novice' to 'expert' offenders with respect to the quality of their decision making and their domain relevant knowledge structures. By using the general principles of expertise as a conceptual framework, a developmental model of expertise in child sex offenders in New Zealand was constructed. The implications of the constructed model for theory and treatment are discussed and suggestions are made for the direction of future research.</p>

scholarly journals A Dynamic Risk Factors–Based Typology of Sexual Offenders

2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (14) ◽  
pp. 1623-1647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Martínez-Catena ◽  
Santiago Redondo ◽  
Nina Frerich ◽  
Anthony R. Beech
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offenders ◽  
Child Molesters ◽  
Criminal History ◽  
Correctional Facilities ◽  
Dynamic Risk Factors ◽  
Dynamic Risk ◽  
Criminogenic Needs ◽  
The One

The purpose of this article was to develop an Spanish psychometric typology of sexual offenders taking into account dynamic risk factors. The sample comprised 94 sex offenders imprisoned in Spain (52 rapists and 42 child molesters). The analysis yielded two different offender categories based on the subjects’ criminogenic needs level (high and low). The results also showed that social desirability has a strong influence on the developed typologies, whereas the offence type, sociodemographic characteristics, and criminal history do not. A dynamic risk factors typology, such as the one proposed here, could help criminal and correctional facilities to fulfill their remit. It could also be useful for linking treatment intensity to offenders’ criminogenic needs, as well as providing a platform for recidivism risk assessments.

An Opportunity View of Child Sexual Offending: Investigating Nonpersuasion and Circumstances of Offending Through Criminological Lens

Sexual Abuse ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 869-882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benoit Leclerc ◽  
Jean Proulx
Keyword(s):  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Sexual Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Sexual Contact ◽  
Sex Offending ◽  
Modus Operandi ◽  
Sexual Activities ◽  
Sexual Offenses ◽  
Reported Data

The empirical evidence indicating that sexual offenders against children manipulate their victims to participate in sexual activities dominates the literature on sex offenders and their modus operandi. However, recent evidence suggests that a high proportion of these offenders do not try to persuade their victims for sexual contact in the first place by using coercion or manipulation but simply assault them when an opportunity arises. Using self-reported data from a sample of incarcerated adult sexual offenders against children, we investigate whether sexual offenses against children committed by the use of nonpersuasion are characterized by little planning and by offense features that are indicative of opportunistic offending. We also examine the interaction between the type of offending strategy and the context of abuse. Findings reveal that offenders using nonpersuasion do not seek out potential victims, but rather seize an opportunity to offend. The type of offending strategy also interacts with the context of abuse for most preoffense and offense variables. These interactions are informative of the conditions favoring opportunistic sex offending against children.

A comparative analysis of Australian sex offender legislation for sex offender registries

2011 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 404-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Vess ◽  
Brooke Langskaill ◽  
Andrew Day ◽  
Martine Powell ◽  
Joe Graffam
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offenders ◽  
Sex Offender ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
The Public ◽  
English Speaking

Australia has followed the course taken by other English-speaking countries in recent years of enacting legislation that requires convicted sexual offenders to register personal details with law enforcement agencies. These laws have been enacted to protect the public from the perceived threat posed by sex offenders, but have been written with little apparent reference to the available research literature about the nature and extent of this threat. In addition, there is no empirical evidence supporting the effectiveness of legislatively based sex offender registries to either reduce sexual offending or to enable the police to investigate sex crimes and apprehend offenders. This article compares and contrasts the current laws governing sex offender registration enacted by the various states and territories in Australia, and offers a critical analysis of their provisions in light of the research literature on sexual offending.

The Proportion of Sexual Offenders Who Are Female Is Higher Than Thought

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franca Cortoni ◽  
Kelly M. Babchishin ◽  
Clémence Rat
Keyword(s):  
Juvenile Offenders ◽  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Fixed Effect ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Female Sexual Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offenses ◽  
Adult Sex Offenders

Women commit sexual offenses, but the proportion of sexual offenders who are female is subject to debates. Based on 17 samples from 12 countries, the current meta-analysis found that a small proportion of sexual offenses reported to police are committed by females (fixed-effect meta-analytical average = 2.2%). In contrast, victimization surveys indicated prevalence rates of female sexual offenders that were six times higher than official data (fixed-effect meta-analytical average = 11.6%). Female sexual offenders are more common among juvenile offenders than adult offenders, with approximately 2 percentage points more female juvenile sex offenders than female adult sex offenders. We also found that males were much more likely to self-report being victimized by female sex offenders compared with females (40% vs. 4%). The current study provides a robust estimate of the prevalence of female sexual offending, using a large sample of sexual offenses across diverse countries.

scholarly journals Sex Offenders' Relationship Frames (SORF): A Qualitative Analysis of Value-laden Cognition in Child Sex Offenders

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Shruti Navathe
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offenders ◽  
Cognitive Distortions ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Sexual Offender ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
And Function

<p>Over the past decades, sex offenders' cognition, specifically their cognitive distortions, have been the focus of extensive research. Traditionally, cognitive distortions have been described as any statements provided by the offender that justify, minimise, or excuse offending (Abel, et al., 1984). Recent research highlighted a need to expand current understanding of cognitive distortions with regards to value, affect and function. The Judgement Model of Cognitive Distortions (Ward, Gannon and Keown, 2006) argued for greater examination of beliefs, values, actions, and their interaction with each other. The current study examined the role played by values within the context of sex offenders' reasoning and decision-making processes. It also sought to understand the ways in which offenders' accounted for their offending, whether it was irrational, and if so, in what way. The research was qualitative, and used interviews gained from a sample of 27 adult, male, treated, child sexual offenders from within New Zealand. Grounded theory methodology (Strauss and Corbin, 1998) was used to create a data-driven model of offenders' reasoning and decision-making, within the context of offending. Results indicated that values were an important part of the offenders' cognition, central to their sense of self, and critical to their perception of the world around them. Values were closely related to how offenders framed their relationship with their victims. Based on the clustering of values, the Sexual Offender Relationship Frames Model (SORF) emerged. This was used to understand and illustrate different pathways to offending using case-studies from the sample. The results have been evaluated within the context of existing literature on the study of sexual offending. Clinical implications, limitations, and practical applications are discussed.</p>

Female sex offenders

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gill McIvor
Keyword(s):  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offenders ◽  
Small Proportion ◽  
Sexual Offending ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Female Sex Offenders ◽  
Sexual Offences ◽  
Female Sex ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Assessment And Treatment

Women represent a small proportion of offenders convicted of sexual offences, and a small proportion of imprisoned women have been sentenced for offences of this kind. This essay begins with a discussion of the nature of female sexual offending, including the number and types of offences, the characteristics of victims, and the level of co-offending with men. It then considers the characteristics and emerging typologies of female sexual offenders. Theoretical approaches to female sexual offending are discussed, with particular attention to the relevance of theories of male sexual offending to sexual offending by women and theoretical developments that focus on women. The implications for assessment and treatment of female sex offenders are considered. Given its increasing role in relation to sexual offending more generally, the role of new technology—particularly the Internet—in facilitating female sexual abuse is explored.

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