Serious Offending: Sexual Offending

Question 1

How is rape defined under the Sexual Offences Act 2003?

Answer 1

The intentional penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth of another person with a penis, without consent.

Question 2

What constitutes sexual assault by penetration?

Answer 2

Intentional penetration of the vagina or anus with a body part or object, without consent.

Question 3

What is the definition of sexual assault?

Answer 3

Intentional touching that is sexual and occurs without consent.

Question 4

What is a key element in all sexual offences?

Answer 4

Consent. It refers to giving permission for something to happen, and its absence during a sexual act constitutes an offence.

Question 5

What is the age of consent in the UK?

Answer 5

16 years old.

Question 6

What are some offences related to child sexual abuse?

Answer 6

• Sexual assault by penetration.
• Inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
• Meeting a child after grooming.
• Making or distributing indecent images.
• Sexual exploitation, prostitution, trafficking, exposure, voyeurism, and incest.

Question 7

What percentage of women globally experience physical or sexual intimate partner violence in their lifetime?

Answer 7

30% (World Health Organization, 2022).

Question 8

What percentage of adolescent girls aged 15–19 report being subjected to physical or sexual violence by a partner?

Answer 8

24%

Question 9

How many sexual offences were recorded by UK police in 2022?

Answer 9

193,566 sexual offences, a 31% increase from the year before.

Question 10

What is the disclosure rate for sexual assault victims?

Answer 10

Only 16% of female and 19% of male victims report their experiences to the police (ONS, 2021).

Question 11

What are the two broad categories of theories for sexual offending?

Answer 11

1. Single-factor approaches.
2. Multifactorial approaches.

Question 12

What are examples of single-factor approaches?

Answer 12

• Cognitive distortions.
• Deficient victim empathy.
• Deviant sexual preferences.
• Intimacy deficits.

Question 13

What are cognitive distortions in sexual offending?

Answer 13

Attitudes and beliefs that justify or deny sexual violence, e.g., “false allegations are common” or “rape victims always show physical signs of assault.”

Question 14

What are empathy deficits in sexual offenders?

Answer 14

A specific inability to empathize with the victim group, e.g., women or children, rather than a global empathy deficit.

Question 15

What are deviant sexual preferences?

Answer 15

• Preferences for violent or coercive sexual acts.
• Preferences for children.
• May develop through exposure to deviant sexual stimuli or fantasies.

Question 16

How do intimacy deficits contribute to sexual offending?

Answer 16

• Insecure childhood attachments lead to poor self-esteem and social skills.
• Emotional loneliness drives the pursuit of intimacy through sexual aggression or relationships with less mature individuals.

Question 17

What are examples of multifactorial theories?

Answer 17

1. Finkelhor’s Precondition Model.
2. Hall and Hirschman’s Quadripartite Model.
3. Marshall and Barbaree’s Integrated Model.
4. Ward and Siegert’s Pathways Model.
5. Ward and Beech’s Integrated Theory.

Question 18

What are the criteria for critiquing a theory of sexual offending?

Answer 18

• Empirical adequacy.
• Internal coherence.
• External consistency.
• Fertility (practical implications).
• Simplicity and explanatory depth.
• Unifying power (drawing together ideas).

Question 19

What are the four preconditions of Finkelhor’s model?

Answer 19

1. Motivation to sexually abuse (emotional congruence, deviant arousal).
2. Overcoming internal inhibitions (e.g., guilt or shame).
3. Overcoming external inhibitions (e.g., parental supervision).
4. Overcoming the child’s resistance (e.g., grooming or coercion).

Question 20

What early developmental experiences contribute to sexual offending in this model?

Answer 20

• Physical, emotional, or sexual abuse.
• Witnessing domestic violence or sexual assault.

Question 21

What key period does this model focus on?

Answer 21

Adolescence/puberty, where difficulties in sexual and social identity development lead to rejection and deviant fantasies.

Question 22

What are the four factors in Hall and Hirschman’s Quadripartite Model?

Answer 22

1. Physiological sexual arousal.
2. Cognitive distortions.
3. Affective dyscontrol.
4. Personality problems.

Question 23

How do neuropsychological factors influence sexual offending?

Answer 23

They impact:

• Motivational and emotional processes.
• Perception and memory.
• Action selection and control.