NCJ Number
162562
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1996) Pages: 17-24
Date Published
1996
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study examined the predictability of adolescent sexual offenders' modus operandi based on differences in victim, perpetrator, and offense characteristics.
Abstract
Questionnaires regarding modus operandi and history of victimization were completed by 179 male adolescent sexual offenders. Subgroups of perpetrators were delineated based upon their history of sexual abuse, as well as the gender, age, and relatedness of offenders' child victims. Subgroups of offenders differed significantly in the strategies they employed to build victims' trust, gain compliance with illicit sexual activity, and maintain victims' silence following the onset of sexual abuse. Implications are discussed for child sexual abuse theory and prevention, as well as for victim and offender treatment. This study raises questions for future research: (1) the effect on modus operandi of age at onset of abuse, demographics of the abuser, extent of the abusive acts, and detection and treatment of the abuse; (2) other subgroups based on variables such as level of violence involved, history of nonsexual criminal offenses, psychological disturbance, and intelligence; and (3) the impact of modus operandi on offender treatment outcome. Tables, references