Men with intellectual disabilities and sexual offending histories: an exploration of their experiences of living within a secure hospital setting

Purpose There is a national drive to transform services for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID), to provide care within the community rather than hospital settings. However, there are limited community provisions for those with more complex care needs such as sexual offending. There has been limited research focussing on this client group’s experiences of inpatient services and the treatment they have received from their own perspective. This study aims to explore their experiences of living in a secure service focussing on treatment for sex offences. Design/methodology/approach In total, 10 men with ID and sexual offending histories took part in an interview designed to explore their experiences of living within a secure hospital setting. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings Three key themes relating to the participants’ experiences within the hospital were identified. These were, namely, “hospital environment”, “personal journey through secure services” and “closeness to home”. Practical implications Men’s experiences at a secure hospital were generally positive in terms of a supportive staff approach. Difficulties existed around the hospital organisation affecting the support they received. Originality/value Some participants experienced a struggle to become more independent and move to less restrictive environments due to their perceived risk levels. Some participants found being away from home to be hard and longed to be closer to their families. Around half of the participants did not want to live near their hometown due to family difficulties, negative peer influences or fears of consequences for their sexual offending. Implications for community service planning are considered.

Estimating the probability of sexual recidivism among men charged or convicted of sexual offences: Evidence-based guidance for applied evaluators

Risk assessment is routinely applied in forensic decision-making. Although relative risk information from risk scales is robust across diverse samples and settings, estimates of the absolute probability of sexual recidivism are not. Nonetheless, absolute recidivism estimates are still necessary in some evaluations. This paper summarizes research and offers guidance on evidence-based practices for assessing the probability of recidivism, organized largely around questions commonly asked in court. Overall, estimating the probability of sexual recidivism is difficult and should be undertaken with humility and circumspection. That being said, research favours empirical-actuarial risk tools for this task, more structured scales, and the use of multiple scales. Professional overrides of risk scale results should not be used under any circumstances. Paradoxically, however, professional judgement is still required in some circumstances. Risk scales do not consider all relevant risk factors, but the added value of external risk factors reaches a point of diminishing returns and may or may not be incremental (or worse, can degrade accuracy). There are reasons actuarial risk scales may both underestimate recidivism (e.g., undetected offending, short follow-ups) and overestimate recidivism (e.g., inclusion of sex offences not of interest in some referral questions, data on declining crime and recidivism rates, newer studies demonstrating overestimation of recidivism). Given all these considerations and the need for humility, in the absence of exceptional circumstances, I would not deviate too far from empirical estimates.

Behavioural Consistency and Offender Characteristics: Investigating Modus Operandi Patterns in Serial Stranger Sex Offences

Case linkage is a statistical technique which connects multiple sexual assault cases to a single perpetrator and holds promise for informing criminal investigations. Further, examining the behaviours executed most consistently across serial offences committed by a given offender is crucial to linking offences. The current study investigated behavioural consistency in a sample of 49 male serial stranger sexual offenders responsible for 147 offences. For each offence, four crime aspects were identified: 1) pre-crime facilitators, 2) victim selection and characteristics, 3) approach and attack methods, and 4) crime scene characteristics. Consistency between and within each crime series and across offender types based on background characteristics was examined. Results indicated a high degree of behavioural consistency across all crime aspects. Behaviours occurring prior to the offence were particularly useful in establishing consistent offending patterns. The implications of these findings in the context of police investigations and their utility for clinical practice are discussed.

Behavioural Consistency and Offender Characteristics: Investigating Modus Operandi Patterns in Serial Stranger Sex Offences

Case linkage is a statistical technique which connects multiple sexual assault cases to a single perpetrator and holds promise for informing criminal investigations. Further, examining the behaviours executed most consistently across serial offences committed by a given offender is crucial to linking offences. The current study investigated behavioural consistency in a sample of 49 male serial stranger sexual offenders responsible for 147 offences. For each offence, four crime aspects were identified: 1) pre-crime facilitators, 2) victim selection and characteristics, 3) approach and attack methods, and 4) crime scene characteristics. Consistency between and within each crime series and across offender types based on background characteristics was examined. Results indicated a high degree of behavioural consistency across all crime aspects. Behaviours occurring prior to the offence were particularly useful in establishing consistent offending patterns. The implications of these findings in the context of police investigations and their utility for clinical practice are discussed.

11. Sexual offences

Course-focused and contextual, Criminal Law provides a succinct overview of the key areas on the law curriculum balanced with thought-provoking contextual discussion. This chapter discusses the main sexual offences including rape, assault by penetration, sexual assault, causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, offences against children, familial sex offences, offences against persons with a mental disorder, and preparatory offences. The chapter situates the offence of rape in particular in the context of broader discussions about consent and trial by jury. Two of ‘The law in context’ features examine the prevalence of ‘rape myths’ that may affect how jurors decide whether a man has committed rape and the procedural issues that affect the success of rape prosecutions.

Cyber Crime and Children in Digital Era

Cyberspace is a virtual world or online world. It is an artificial world created by computers or internet enabled devices or components to communicate. It is digital platform where users interact and communicate with one another with the help of internet. The cybercrime is a rapid growing area of crime in the world. It is defined as a crime in which computers or internet enabled devices to commit an offenses which is categorized into two types such as property crimes (hacking, spamming, identity theft, fraud and copyright infringement) and crimes against the person ( child pornography, sexual abuse of children, cyber stalking, cyber bullying). Crimes in the virtual world is serious threat to the people as cybercriminals uses computer technology to access the personal and professional information or documents of person or organization for evil or malevolently reasons. The aim of the paper is to render the psychology of child predation and child pornography online in India. This paper will discuss about the different measures which should be taken to protect and educate the children about cyber bullying and cyber stalking in India. It will also highlight the legal intervention, effects on victims, punishment and preventative measures for a broad range of cybercrimes. The study will also understand the psychology behind the cybercrimes such as child sex offences and how such crimes can be prevented. The aim of the study is to discuss the role of government and policy makers for the rehabilitation of victims against cybercrimes. The paper will suggest some measures for the holistic development and security of children.