NCJ Number
70978
Date Published
1980
Length
10 pages
Annotation
The characteristics of 100 cases of indecent exposure referred to the Midland Center for Forensic Psychiatry (England) are described, and their relationshp to the victim, criminal histories, and convictions are reviewed.
Abstract
Indecent exposure by men to insult women has been illegal in Great Britain since 1824 or before. The cases in the current study were reviewed after 4 to 8 years of an initial assessment by a psychiatrist. Most offenders were young, 65 were under 30, and a higher proportion than in the general population were single. Although they tended to have stable backgrounds, many of the offenders came from broken homes or had unhappy childhoods. Over half reported difficulties forming relationships with women and many had never experienced heterosexual sexual intercourse. The majority had stable work histories. At the time of referral to the psychiatrist, 40 had no previous convictions, 15 had previous theft or burglary convictions only, and 44 had some previous sex conviction. Most exposed themselves to a certain age group only, 33 to adult women only. Those exposing to children were the least disturbed and most responsive to treatent, but those exposing to adult women were the most disturbed. Most of the 100 men were diagnosed as having long periods of sexual maladjustment and immature personalities. The reconviction rate for 43 of the 100 followed up was 20 percent. Those exposing to adult females also had the worst criminal records, were the most resistant to therapy, and reoffended most often. It is concluded that, since most exposers are not dangerous and benefit from therapy, they should be diverted from prison. Tables and a bibliography of 10 references are included.