NCJ Number
227835
Journal
Acta Criminologica Volume: 22 Issue: 1 Dated: 2009 Pages: 37-45
Date Published
2009
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article presents the findings of the initial study in an ongoing research project on serial rape in South Africa, which used police records to determine the characteristics of nine male serial rapists, with a view toward the development of a profile of serial rapists for comparison with serial rapists in the United States.
Abstract
The average age of the six Black offenders was 32.3 years. The Black offenders were generally employed as laborers at the time of the rapes. They had low educational levels. Their criminal records involved mostly convictions for robbery and rape. The one "coloured" offender was 24 years old at the time of his first rape. He was unemployed with a medium level of education. His previous criminal conviction was for theft. The average age of the two White offenders was 28 years old. They were employed as professionals and had high levels of education. One of the White offenders had previous convictions for rape and attempted murder. The offenders mostly targeted victims within their own population groups. Black offenders had the highest incidence of targeting victims outside their own population group. Generally, the victims were younger than the offenders by an average of 11.3 years. The average number of victims per series of rapes was 8.3. The lowest victim total in a series of rapes was 3, and the highest victim total in a series was 17. The South African male serial rapist shares some basic biographical information with his American counterpart, but differences were found, despite the small initial sample size. This suggests the value of research on offender types within local socioeconomic milieus. This study is the starting point for a scientific study of male serial rapists in the South African context. 3 tables and 25 references