NCJ Number
184724
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 44 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2000 Pages: 490-504
Date Published
August 2000
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study was designed to differentiate between three types of child sex offenders: pedophiles, hebophiles, and incest offenders.
Abstract
The sample consisted of 168 convicted sex offenders. Data for the study were obtained from presentence investigation reports used by the court for sentencing proceedings. The researchers first coded each sex offender as a pedophile, hebophile, or incest offender. A hebophile usually has age-appropriate relationships, but will offend against a child who is at the same level of psychosexual development the offender was when he felt the most secure sexually and otherwise. The coding of each offender was done by examining the offender's legal and illegal sexual relationships based on the presentence investigation. Using multiple discriminant analysis, eight independent variables were found to significantly discriminate between the three types of sex offenders almost 90 percent of the time. These variables were being sexually victimized as a child, being a prepubertal victim, seduction motive, age-appropriate relationships, stress, own child as victim, social facade, and anger. The implications of these findings for probation and parole officers are discussed. 4 tables, 6 notes, and 22 references