NCJ Number
192039
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 46 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2001 Pages: 1397-1402
Date Published
November 2001
Length
6 pages
Annotation
In an effort to assist forensic psychiatrists and psychologists in their evaluation of adults who commit sexual crimes against children through the Internet, this paper describes individuals who seduce minors in Internet "chat rooms," along with aspects of their psychological evaluation in a legal context.
Abstract
"Chat rooms" are meeting places on the Internet where people with similar interests send electronic messages to each other. In a chat room, individuals engage in real-time dialog; i.e., when a message is typed, it appears almost immediately on the computer screen of other individuals in the chat room. The chat rooms foster an exchange of information or ideas on a particular topic. Two individuals may break away from the main chat room to have a private chat. Individuals in the chat room use "screen names" of their choosing. Individuals who attempt to seduce minors through chat room dialog are typically adult males who enter chat rooms where minors congregate (e.g., chat rooms devoted to sports and hobbies). Undercover officers enter chat rooms posing as minors. The perpetrator engages in increasingly explicit sexual talk with the officer (pretend minor) and eventually arranges to meet in order to have sex. When the perpetrator arrives at the meeting place, he is met by an undercover officer and uniformed officers and is arrested. Forensic psychiatrists and psychologists who evaluate individuals charged with sex crimes on the Internet are asked by the court to assess a defendant's sexual psychopathology, dangerousness, and treatment options. Forensic experts must be familiar with the numerous diagnostic types of sex offenders, risk assessment methods, and treatment options. Additionally, forensic experts must have knowledge of legal issues, such as intent and entrapment. In cases involving chat room seduction of an undercover officer, an offender is charged with an attempted lewd act with a minor; however, it is obviously not possible to complete a lewd act with a minor who is in fact an adult police officer. Forensic examiners must understand the two elements of an "attempt," which are the criminal mental state and a direct but ineffectual act done toward its commission. This paper explains psychiatric forensic evaluations, the diagnostic classification of child molesters, the diagnosis of sexual psychopathology, and dangerousness. Three case studies of such evaluations are provided. 20 references