NCJ Number
206725
Journal
Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health Volume: 14 Issue: 2 Dated: 2004 Pages: 134-145
Date Published
2004
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study examined the antisocial attitudes of sex offenders.
Abstract
Research has confirmed the importance of attitudes in predicting criminal behavior among youths and adults. Antisocial attitudes and antisocial peers are closely tied theoretically and empirically. The current study compared the antisocial attitudes and associates of sex offenders with non-sex offenders as measured using the Measures of Criminal Attitudes and Associates (MCAA) instrument and criminal histories. Participants were 194 volunteers drawn from a sample of federally incarcerated males sentenced to 2 years or more in the Ontario region; 90 were sex offenders and 104 were non-sex offenders. All offenders completed Part A of the MCAA, which is a self-report measure of criminal friends, and 180 offenders completed Part B of the MCAA, which contains attitude scales on violence, entitlement, antisocial intent, and associates. Results of statistical analyses indicated that sexual offenders held fewer antisocial attitudes, reported fewer criminal associations, and had fewer incarcerations than did non-sex offenders. Rapists appeared to endorse more antisocial attitudes than child molesters and incest offenders. However, the differences between the sex offender and non-sex offender groups disappeared after controlling for age; the older age of the sex offender group was confounding. Thus, the differences between sex offenders and non-sex offenders’ antisocial attitudes can be explained by differences in age and exposure to a criminal environment. The findings support the use of the MCAA with sex offender populations and suggest that antisocial attitudes hold similar relevance for both sex offenders and non-sex offenders. The main limitation of the research is its scope. Future research should include a post-release follow-up in order to examine the ability of antisocial attitudes to predict recidivism among sex offenders. Tables, references