Patterns of Criminal Achievement in Sexual Offending: Unraveling the Successful Sex Offender

• NCJ Number: 236376
• Journal: Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 39 Issue: 5 Dated: September/October 2011 Pages: 433-444
• Author(s): Patrick Lussier; Martin Bouchard; Eric Beauregard
• Date Published: 2011
• Length: 12 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Netherlands

Annotation

Based on data obtained from 553 individuals consecutively admitted to a Canadian Federal penitentiary for a sex crime between April 1994 and June 2000, this study examines significant variations in criminal achievement across sex offenders.

Abstract

For the purposes of this study, achievement in sexual offending is defined as "the ability to maximize the payoffs of a crime opportunity while minimizing the costs." The study found that the most active offenders both in terms of volume and rate of offending survived detection the longest. Offenders who were more successful at delaying detection may have chosen victims (i.e., children) who may not understand that a crime has been perpetrated against them. Consequently, they were less likely to verbally and physically resist, as well as to disclose the offense to someone. Second, offenders who managed to escape apprehension the longest were the most specialized in sex crimes. The more successful offenders may have opted against using physical violence so as to increase victim participation, minimize physical resistance, and decrease the risk of the victim reporting the offense. Age was also a factor in delaying detection, as older sex offenders were caught and sanctioned later. This might indicate that older offenders are more experienced and more knowledgeable about how to offend while minimizing the risk of apprehension. It could also be that older offenders have more self-control over the crime opportunities, i.e., those with the lowest risk of apprehension. Finally, offenders who managed to delay detection longer were less likely to be known by the authorities. They spent less time in prison and were less likely to have a prior record for a sex crime. Their background portrays a conventional person without a drug problem, being employed, and in a stable relationship with an adult partner. 5 tables, 17 notes, and 77 references