Sexual Offenders Flashcards
Suspects of sexual crime and the consequences of suspicion
Being suspected with a sexual crime is enough to be treated with long lasting suspicion.
Even being associated with an implicated group can lead to suspicion:
Catholic priests
Male radio and tv personalities of a certain age
Conversely high-profile acquittals may give rise to a false belief that false accusations are common.
How does the Sexual Offences Act 2003 define rape and consent?
Rape is penetration of the vagina/mouth/anus by the penis.
Consent is when a person agrees by choice to the sexual activity and has the freedom and capacity to make that choice.
What are the additional offences in the Sexual Offences Act 2003?
Assault by penetration - penetration to the vagina/mouth/anus by anything other than a penis.
Sexual Assault
What are the ages of consent and offences against children?
Age of consent is 16.
Penetration, sexual contact and inciting children to engage in sexual activity is illegal when victim is under 13.
Penetration, sexual contact and inciting children to engage in sexual activity is illegal when victim is under 16 and perpetrator is 18 or older
What are the additional offences against children?
Sexual contact with someone 16/17 maybe illegal where there is an abuse of trust.
Familial child sexual offences
Grooming
Offences against persons with a mental disorder impeding choice
What are the sexual offences in other jurisdictions?
Europe, US, Implications for research
Europe
- Laws vary across countries
- In the EU age of consent varies between 13 (Spain) and 18 (Malta, Turkey, Vatican City)
US
- Age of consent varies between 16 and 18 depending on the state
Implications for research
- Studies may treat as criminal individuals who would be acting lawfully in other jurisdictions
The prevalence of rape and child molestation
1 in five women may experience rape or attempted rape during their life time (MacDonald, 2000)
For women 15-44, rape and domestic violence are higher risk factors for death and disability than cancer, war and motor vehicle accidents.
However there are also “junk statistics from advocacy groups” (Pinker, 2011) such as that 1 in 4 university students have been raped.
In the US, annual rates of rape have reduced by 80% since 1973, compared with a 57% reduction for murder (Pinker, 2011).
Despite this, latest UK estimates annually: 430,000 - 517,000 sexual offences; 60,000 - 95,000 are rape.
Meta-analysis puts global rates of child sexual abuse (victims under 18) at 4 - 19% for boys and 11 - 12% for girls (Stolenborgh, 2011)
What did Smallbone and Wortley (2000, 2004, 2009) find when examining common misconceptions about child sexual abuse?
“Stranger Danger”
- 5% of child sexual abuse perpetrators lived with the victim
- 9% knew child
- 5% were strangers
69% of offences in the home
“Paedophile rings”
Prior to arrest
8% talked to other offenders
4% were members of a paedophile group
"Most child sexual offenders are gay" Stated orientation 76% female only 8% male only 13% both
Victims
72% female
28% male
However, gay offenders have more victims on average
Are all child molesters paedophiles?
No. People tend to use the terms interchangeably but child molester does not equal paedophile
What is paedophilia and other philias?
Paedophilia: “a sexual preference for children, boys or girls or both, usually of prepubertal or early pubertal age” (WHO, 1997)
Hebophelia - around puberty
Ephebophilia - adolescent
Teleiophilia - adult
What are Virtuous Pedophiles and the Dunkelfeld Project, Germany?
These are groups to help people suffering with pedophilia. It helps them others alike and helps to find them ways of coping with it and how to get help for it.
What percentage of contact offenders are paedophilic?
40-50% (Seto, 2008)
How do you measure deviant sexual interest?
Traditionally measured by measuring arousal.
Less direct methods are now being developed
- looking at reaction times to stimuli
- in other words do people get distracted by stimuli they sexually appealing (O Ciardha and Gormley, 2012)
What is child molestation?
Is anyone who commits a contact sexual offence against a child, whether they have paedophilic interest or not.
Often divided into: Incest/Intrafamilial - less evidence of paedophilia - lower re-offence rates Unrelated/Extra-familial - Greater sexual interest in male children - Greater risk
What about people who look at child pornography?
The internet has made it easier to find child pornography.
Child pornography offenders show greater paedophilic arousal than contact offenders (Seto et al, 2006)
1 in 8 will have an officially recorded contact (Seto et al, 2011)
50% self report a contact offence.
However, re-offending with a contact offence is less likely than for contact offenders.
