NCJ Number
231514
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 25 Issue: 6 Dated: August 2010 Pages: 595-602
Date Published
August 2010
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study examined the extent to which potential risk factors, protective factors, and treatment needs exist in female sex abusers.
Abstract
Despite nearly a century of knowledge indicating a significant number of women engaging in sexual activities with children, the phenomenon has not yet been fully acknowledged. Recently, however, there has been a marked increase in research in this area. However, due to the relatively small numbers of detections or convictions there remains a lack of data regarding: (1) the specific clinical characteristics of female sex offenders; and (2) how these clinical factors link to re-offending and treatment need. The following study examines potential risk, protective, and treatment factors that are highlighted through the process of clinical intervention, using an adapted version of the Beech and Ward (2004) risk framework. The study describes how female sex offenders typically display clinical deficits in the same risk domains as their male counterparts, while noting the ways in which these deficits manifest in this population. In addition, we compare these vulnerability factors in four established types of female sex offender. Figure and references (Published Abstract)