Contrary to popular belief, not all sex offenders who target children are pedophiles, and not all pedophiles commit sexual offenses. But what is unequivocal is that pedophilia, which is defined as a persistent sexual interest in prepubescent children, is an emotionally charged and controversial topic. Parents are understandably worried about the safety and well-being of their children and want to protect them from being sexually exploited. Mental health and criminal justice professionals want to learn more about the assessment methods and intervention techniques that are available to develop and implement effective policies and practices.In this book, author Michael C. Seto addresses key concerns and questions in dealing with these clinical populations: How can pedophilia be detected? What causes pedophilia and sexual offending against children, and what is the relationship between the two? How do we assess risk to sexually offend? Finally, what do we know about intervention and prevention to reduce the occurrence of sexual offenses against children? In addition to a comprehensive synthesis of theory and research, the author demonstrates how this knowledge informs current treatment practices with the inclusion of illustrative case examples, sample interview questions, assessment tools, and online resources.

Pedophilia and Sexual Offending Against Children: Theory, Assessment, and Intervention

Youth who commit one type of violent offense tend to commit others; they also tend to commit nonviolent offenses and have co-occurring problems such as substance abuse and sexual promiscuity. Violent offenders tend to be frequent or persistent offenders. There is considerable continuity from childhood aggression to youth violence. The major long-term predictors are biological factors (low heart rate), individual factors (high impulsiveness and low intelligence), family factors (poor supervision, harsh discipline, a violent parent, large family size, a young mother, a broken family), peer delinquency, low socioeconomic status, urban residence, and a high-crime neighborhood. Immediate situational influences include potential offenders' motives (e. g., anger, a desire to hurt) and actions leading to violent events (e. g., the escalation of a trivial altercation). New longitudinal surveys could measure a wide range of risk and protective factors, study violent careers using self-reports, and focus on types of...

Predictors, Causes, and Correlates of Male Youth Violence

The decision to charge is a critical stage in the processing of sexual assault cases, as many cases do not proceed beyond this stage. Frohmann (1991) examined prosecutorial justifications for case rejection and concluded that prosecutors construct typifications of credible victims and rape relevant behavior in deciding whether to file charges in sexual assault cases. We use data on 1997 sexual battery cases cleared by arrest in Miami, Florida, as well as information gleaned from interviews with a sample of the attorneys who handled these cases, to replicate and extend Frohmann's work. Although our findings are consistent with Frohmann's assertion that charging decisions primarily reflect the prosecutor's assessment of the likelihood of conviction, they also suggest that this assessment is based on factors other than typifications of rape and rape victims. In a substantial number of the cases examined for this study, the decision to reject charges could be traced to the victim's failure to appear for a prefile interview, refusal to cooperate in the prosecution of the case, or admission that the charges were fabricated. We also found that the decision to file charges was based on a combination of case and victim characteristics, but that cases involving a victim and suspect who were acquainted, related, or intimate partners were more likely than those involving a victim and suspect who were strangers to be prosecuted. We conclude that prosecutors' charging decisions are guided by a set of “focal concerns” (Steffensmeier, et al. 1998) that revolve around reducing uncertainty and securing convictions and that incorporate beliefs about real rapes and legitimate victims.

Prosecutorial justifications for sexual assault case rejection: Guarding the "gateway to justice"

In this study of prosecutors' charging decisions in sexual assault cases, we test the hypothesis that the effect of victim characteristics is conditioned by the relationship between the victim and the suspect. We categorize the victim/suspect relationship as one involving strangers, acquaintances/relatives, or intimate partners, and we examine the effect of victim, suspect, and case characteristics on charging decisions in each type of case. The results of our analysis reveal that the effect of victim characteristics, with one exception, is confined to cases involving acquaintances and intimate partners. In these types of cases, prosecutors were less likely to file charges if there were questions about the victim's character or behavior at the time of the incident. In contrast, the victim's reputation and behavior did not affect charging in cases involving strangers; in those types of cases, prosecutors were more likely to file charges if the suspect used a gun or knife or if the victim was white. We conc...

Prosecuting sexual assault: A comparison of charging decisions in sexual assault cases involving strangers, acquaintances, and intimate partners

Explanations of sexual offending against children have traditionally focused on the intrapsychic forces that are assumed to drive the offender’s deviant behavior. The situational crime prevention perspective, on the other hand, examines the immediate behavioral setting to identify factors that encourage or permit sexual abuse. Empirical evidence increasingly indicates that sexual offences against children are significantly mediated by opportunities and other environmental conditions. It is argued in this chapter that the primary prevention of the sexual abuse of children may be effected by systematically identifying and altering these problematic environmental elements. This chapter outlines the case for applying a situational prevention model to sexual offenses against children. It examines evidence for the situational bases of these offenses, describes a situational typology of sexual offenders against children, outlines the settings in which their offending occurs, and proposes situational strategies for preventing these offenses. Regular readers of the Crime Prevention Series will be familiar with the principles of situational crime prevention. However, we are hoping that this volume will attract researchers and practitioners in the sexual offender treatment field who may not normally read articles on situational crime prevention. Therefore, we will begin by briefly reviewing the key elements of situational prevention.

Applying situational principles to sexual offenses against children

A common misconception exists that criminal offenders specialize in types of crime, such as serial murders, domestic violence, and sex offenses. This article explores the research on specialization in general criminal offenders, domestic violence offenders, and sex offenders. This review finds that although there are a few specialists, the majority of criminal offenders are generalists who exhibit wide versatility in offending. The implications for legal and mental health policies are discussed.

Do criminal offenders specialize in crime types

Ample research indicates that the laws, policies, and legal actors involved in domestic violence cases can achieve iatrogenic or therapeutic effects on both offenders and victims. This article explores the ways in which the legal system reinforces maladaptive behavior by offenders and victims and how it can influence changes in such behavior through legal mechanisms. The author uses the therapeutic jurisprudence perspective to examine the psychology of offenders who commit domestic violence crimes in Part I. In Part II, the psychology of domestic violence victims is explored. The impact of the arrest and prosecution stages of the criminal justice system is discussed in Part III. Trials, plea bargains, and sentencing issues are explored in Part IV, and the use of restraining orders is explored in Part V. The discussion of these issues and the therapeutic jurisprudence perspective presented in this article can inform law reform efforts, criminal justice policy, and mental health policy.

A therapeutic jurisprudence approach to the legal processing of domestic violence cases.

Prior theory and research indicate that the victim-offender relationship is an important factor in determining how an offender is treated at various stages of the criminal justice system, with stranger offenders faring worse than nonstranger offenders in all stages of legal processing. This study investigates whether the victim-offender relationship plays a role in determining the original charge, the crime conviction, and the sentence length of inmates in prison for violent crimes. Data consist of interview and official record information of 273 sentenced and incarcerated violent male offenders. The results indicate that the victim-offender relationship is related to the legal processing, but in paradoxical ways. Thus, although nonstranger offenders are charged with and convicted of more serious crimes, stranger offenders receive significantly longer sentences. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.

Leonore M. J. Simon

Papers

Do criminal offenders specialize in crime types

A therapeutic jurisprudence approach to the legal processing of domestic violence cases.

Legal Treatment of the Victim-Offender Relationship in Crimes of Violence: