NCJ Number
196252
Journal
Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology Volume: 17 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 2002 Pages: 65-83
Date Published
2002
Length
19 pages
Annotation
In an effort to better understand the characteristics of sexual offenders, this study used a genogram and a grounded theory approach to examine the experiences of three generations of incarcerated sex offenders.
Abstract
The sample consisted largely of seven family members. The eldest, Stephen, was 52 years old at the time of the interviews. He had three sons: Milton 34, Henry George 29, and Collin 23. Milton was a free man who had 18-year-old twins named Larry and Tamera. Larry was incarcerated in New York after plea bargaining two Class E felonies (sexual assault of a minor) and one Class A felony (sodomy) for a 4-year prison sentence. Tamera was recently released from an Illinois prison where she served time for prostitution, aggravated assault, and possession of an illicit substance. Stephen's second son, Henry George, was incarcerated in New York, and his third son Collin was also confined in South Carolina. Henry George had a 15 year-old son, Jason, who was adjudicated to a juvenile center in Ohio at the time of this study. The three generations of offenders in this study described experiences of chronic criminal conduct that was not deterred by imprisonment. These chronic sexual offenders had a predisposition toward a sexual addiction, and accordingly a biological inheritance and environmental factors contributed to their conduct. They are chronically violent individuals who understand their feelings, their experiences, and the outcomes of their conduct. Their decision to commit criminally violent behavior was largely a conscious decision made in pursuit of their objectives, which have been centered in sexual intimacy, regardless of the consequences for themselves or their victims. They continually survey their social environments for vulnerable prey. Given the persistence of criminal behavior manifested in these family members, the author recommends that correctional systems use mandatory treatment within a medical model of confinement in contrast to a punitive model. Future research should involve a longitudinal study of family members who are violent sexual offenders. 1 table and 72 references