Age and Sexual Recidivism: A Comparison of Rapists and Child Molesters

• NCJ Number: 203108
• Author(s): R. Karl Hanson
• Date Published: 2003
• Length: 29 pages
• Sale Source: Canada Minister of Public Works and Government Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Canada
• Note: Downloaded November 22, 2003.

Annotation

This Canadian study examined the relationship between age and recidivism for rapists and child molesters.

Abstract

Secondary analyses were conducted on 10 samples of sexual offenders (total sample of 4,673). The samples were drawn from diverse settings in Canada (seven samples), the United States (two samples), and the United Kingdom (one sample). All of the offenders had been released from institutions, with the exception of about half of the offenders from the Washington State sample, who received community-based sentences. Age was measured at the time of release from an institution, except for the Washington State sample (age was measured at time of sentencing). Sexual recidivism was measured by using the definitions used in the original reports; in most cases this was either charges (four samples) or convictions (five samples). One sample included readmissions to psychiatric facilities among their recidivism criteria. Preliminary analyses were conducted to examine the association between age and recidivism in each sample. The meta-analysis of the individual samples found the same pattern of results as the analysis of total sample. Only the results from the total sample are presented in this report. The primary statistical procedure used to measure the association between age and sexual recidivism was logistic regression. The sample was divided into those who sexually victimized adult women (rapists, n=1,133), child molesters who victimized any unrelated children (n=1,411), and child molesters who victimized only related children (n=1,207). The findings indicate that rapists were younger than child molesters, and the recidivism risk of rapists steadily decreased with age. In contrast, extrafamilial child molesters showed relatively little reduction in recidivism risk until after the age of 50. The recidivism rate of intrafamilial child molesters was generally low (less than 10 percent), except for the intrafamilial offenders in the 18- to 24-year-old age group, whose recidivism risk was comparable to that of rapists and extrafamilial child molesters. The report discusses these findings in terms of developmental changes in sexual drive, self-control, and opportunities to offend. 2 figures, 2 tables, and 51 references