NCJ Number
241508
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 56 Issue: 6 Dated: September 2012 Pages: 838-855
Date Published
September 2012
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study examined records of men civilly committed under Illinois' Sexually Violent Persons Act compared with similar published samples from other States.
Abstract
The records of 377 men civilly committed under Illinois' Sexually Violent Persons Act were compared with similar published samples from seven other States. Civilly committed sexual offenders in Illinois were more likely to be diagnosed with any personality disorder and more likely to exceed the cutoff score for psychopathy than similar offenders in other States. The authors then present a national composite of demographic, victim, and diagnostic information on men referred or pursued for civil commitment in eight States to better understand how these individuals differ from sex offender populations in correctional settings. Results suggest that there may be less victim specificity in sexually violent person (SVP) populations, as although nearly 50 percent of SVPs are diagnosed with pedophilia, 80 percent had committed at least one sexual offense against a child or adolescent victim. Across all samples, 72.7 percent of SVPs were diagnosed with a personality disorder, with antisocial personality disorder the most prevalent. Abstract published by arrangement with Sage Journals.