NCJ Number
92465
Date Published
1983
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Sexual offenders generally commit other criminal acts as well as their sexual offenses and share many demographic, social, developmental, and psychological features with other offenders.
Abstract
They are poorly educated, come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and were exposed as children to lax or harsh and inconsistent discipline from aggressive and alcoholic males. They are also mostly semiskilled, unskilled, or unemployed workers. Rapists and child molesters are unconcerned about others and lack social skills. They have poor personal relationships, suffer from boredom, and tend to use alcohol excessively. Their behavior can be considered in terms of a broad classification of sexual behavior, which defines it in terms of three criteria: whether or not the consent of a partner is an issue, whether the act is threatening to others, and whether society accepts the behavior. When considered this way, sexual acts which interfere with the rights of adults or children are properly described as dangerous. Both child molesters and rapists injure their victims more than needed to perpetrate the sexual part of their acts. Many of the rapists also try to dominate and humiliate their victims and to commit sadistic acts, probably due to their anger and hostility toward women. Thirty-one references are listed.