NCJ Number
195499
Journal
Journal of Sexual Aggression Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Dated: 2002 Pages: 51-61
Date Published
2002
Length
11 pages
Annotation
In an attempt to gain a better understanding of the relationship between self-esteem and sex offending, this study investigated how self-esteem varied according to the type of sex offender, their choice of victims, offending history, and how self-esteem in sex offenders differed according to various components of the self-esteem construct and whether self-esteem was related to premature termination of therapy.
Abstract
Over the years, several studies have noted the similarities between the characteristics of people with low self-esteem and sex offenders. However, caution is suggested when applying this finding to different sexual offender populations. This study used the Culture Free Self-Esteem Inventory (CFSEI) to measure three components of self-esteem and a lie subtest: general self-esteem, social self-esteem, and personal self-esteem. Data were collected from 690 adult male inmates admitted to the Grendon Therapeutic Prison and completing the CFSEI. The database covered demographic, social, psychiatric, and criminological information. Study findings found self-esteem to be significantly below non-custodial norms for all the offense categories of men admitted to Grendon. Admissions to Grendon were characterized by low self-esteem relative to non-custodial comparison. Levels of self-esteem for those with a current sexual offense in this population were not significantly different from non-sex offenders. The offender group with the lowest self-esteem was not sex offenders but arsonists. Three possible explanations were presented for the finding that self-esteem was not significantly different between sex and non-sex offenders in this population: (1) men on reception to Grendon exaggerated their responses to the questionnaires in order to gain entry to the therapeutic communities; (2) criminal versatility might have contributed to a blurring of differences between sex offenders and other types of offenders at Grendon; and (3) the previous research might have failed to differentiate clearly enough between types of sex offenders when measuring self-esteem. Results suggest that for prison populations like Grendon, approaches that seek to enhance self-esteem would seem to be equally applicable for non-sex offenders, particularly arsonists. Tables and references