Sexual Offending Flashcards
Sex Offender
Someone who has engaged in sexual behaviour that would constitute a criminal sexual offence
Regardless of whether it resulted in criminal prosecution
Incidence
13,500 sex offenders (19%)
Generally, the more serious the offence & more distant the relationship between victim & offender- more likely offence to be reported
Paraphilias definition
Preference for what is beyond
Sexual arousal in response to atypical stimuli
DSM defines as ‘any intense & persistent sexual interest other than sexual interest in genital stimulation or preparatory fondling with phenotypically normal, physically nature & consenting human partners’
Characterised by ‘recurrent, intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges or behaviours’
Paraphilia types
547 documented types
Often hidden from others, making detection & treatment difficult
Not all seen as problematic by individuals
Sexual urges not directed at other person
Sexual arousal from inflicting or experiencing suffering
Sexual urges directed at non-consenting other persons
Types of Sexual Offenders
Exhibit Voyeur Sexual Murder Child Abuse Rape
Subtypes of Sexual Offenders
Rape- angry, opportunistic, sexual (stranger, acquaintance, marital, gang)
Child abuse- extrafamilial, intrafamilial (predatory, opportunistic, internet, females)
Sexual murder- angry, sadistic, sexual (single, serial, child victim, females)
General Deviancy Model (extra info)
Offend sexually as part of general tendency to engage in all sorts of deviant behaviour
Specialist Model (extra info)
Not likely to commit other types of crimes, exclusively commit sex offences
Evaluation of Models (extra info)
- GDM supported by general theory of crime- offending is manifestation of broader & more pervasive antisocial behaviour- most criminals are generalists
- Lussier et al (2007)- most sex offenders have background in non-sex offending- risk factors for sex offending broadly same as for non-sex offending
- Sex offenders may be too global of a categorisation- variety of subtypes- rapists tend to be generalists & child molesters tend to be specialists (Harris et al, 2009)
Paedophile nature vs nurture
- Brain activation of paedophilic men compared to controls using fMRI
- Activity patterns don’t differ but structures differ
- Prenatal evidence also exists (e.g. left handed ness, shorter height, lower intelligence)
- Possible that postnatal experiences influence development of paedophilia
Cantor et al (2008)
Paedophilic offenders show lower white matter than non sex-offenders
Suggests a cross-wiring of the brain
Resulting in sexual arousal responses to children
Rape
Not considered a paraphilia
Can be approached from paraphilic perspective if linked with sexual sadism
Paraphilic coercive disorder- sexual urges focused on sexual coercion, forcing sex on non-consenting persons
Sexual sadism disorder- psychological or physical suffering of another person, sexually exciting to person
Knight (2010)
No evidence that sexual arousal to coercion can be differentiated from sadistic tendencies
Fantasies & cognitions about rape are complex & relate to sadistic tendencies
Any differences in arousal to sexually coercive scenarios is explained better by failure to inhibit sexual arousal to such stimuli
Knight et al (2013)
Don’t support idea of PCD as single category
Continuum- thoughts of making women do what one wants & forcing sex to extremes of choking, beating & killing
Psychopathy & sex offenders (application)
Associated with severe forms of sexual violence
Mixed sex offenders are highly psychopathic
Compared to other sex offenders, child molesters have lowest psychopathy scores
Psychopathic sexual murderers use excess violence & more sadistic acts
Psychopathy moderates fantasy-behaviour link in non-offenders
