Sex Offenders Flashcards
Rape typologies
Power-assurance: insecure, violent, serial offenders, take trophies
Power-assertive: expresses sexuality + power over women (date tape, sexually confident)
Anger-retaliatory: high anger towards women, blitz attacks, degrades victims
Anger-excitement: gains pleasure + excitement from victim’s distress
Criminological vs psychological approaches
Study of sexual offenders dominated by psychology - focus of the psychology of the offence, assumption is sexual offenders specialise in their offending
Move towards a criminological focus - looking at the criminology of sexual offences
Research suggests no specific personality traits differentiate child sexual offenders from other offenders
Models explaining paedophilia
Sexualisation model - assumes early childhood (e.g. abuse) conducive to developing paedophilia TOO BROAD
Psychotherapeutic-cognitive model - cognitive distortions rationalise or excuse behaviour BIG CONTRIBUTOR TO WHAT CAUSES SEXUAL OFFENCES
Vulnerability factors in childhoods of young sex offenders which predispose them to committing sexual offences against children - may increase risk but not definite that someone will offend
Theoretical perspectives - 4
Socio-cultural theories
Feminist theory
Social learning theory
Evolutionary theory
Socio-cultural theories
Some aspects of culture might encourage men to rape
- individualistic collectivist culture
- gender inequality
- social disorganisation (anomie) e.g. war
Feminist theories
Gender structure = control of women
Disparities in social status and power
Power and dominance = motivators
Lower levels of rape in more egalitarian societies
Generally about empowering women
Social learning theory
Pro-rape beliefs and attitudes are learned
- modelling and reinforcement
- but not all men with pro rape beliefs rape
Eg following this theory violent pornography would lead to rape, but there is little evidence to support causal relationship
Evolutionary theory
Dodgy theory
Rape is partly sexual/ linked to need to reproduce
Raymond Garland
Anger-retaliatory/anger-excitement typology
Normal intelligence/not psychopathic
Normal testosterone
All nurture issues (no clear nature issues)
Extensive criminal history - variety of crimes
Range is risk factors - lack of intimate relationships, aggressive thinking, poor impulse control/self-control/cognitive style, sexual preoccupation, sexualised violence
Dennis Ferguson
DSM-V = paedophilia
Forced relocation around Qld and NSW due to public outrage and media
Public hostility concern for psychologists
- judgment affected by anti-paedophile feelings
- public may refuse treatment facilities in area
- assessment of risk sometimes made under public pressure
Qld Dangerous Prisoners (Sexual Offenders) Act 2003
Allows court to keep prisoners in prison indeterminately
2 options - continuing detention or supervision order
Introduced in response to high profile cases - Dennis Ferguson and
