NCJ Number
148232
Date Published
1992
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Characteristics of male offenders convicted of rape and indecent assault were studied in 1989 using the Sexual Offender Assessment Checklist.
Abstract
All subjects were interviewed by psychologists to obtain information on variables related to family pathology, including family intactness and emotional stability, history of criminality among family members, history of family violence and/or sexual deviation, history of abuse and neglect, childhood behavioral adjustment, education and employment, social adjustment, and psychosexual adjustment. Information was also collected on offenses, and offender penal and criminal records were reviewed. Of 41 subjects, 17 were convicted of rape and 24 were convicted of indecent assault. Although no statistically significant findings were observed on family pathology variables, results demonstrated that the rape offender group had a higher incidence of sibling criminal history, emotional instability at home, and history of child neglect. More than one-third of both groups reported moderate to severe behavioral problems at school. The indecent assault group was generally more stable at work than the rape group. About one-third of both groups were assessed to be antisocial and socially withdrawn as adolescents, although indecent assault offenders were more socially maladjusted even in adulthood. The indecent assault group was more heterosexually maladjusted than the rape offenders group. Of the total sample, only two subjects were found to be sexually deviant. Directions for further research are noted. 13 references and 5 tables