NCJ Number
143078
Date Published
1991
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether or not serial rapists differ from serial robbers in reporting more adverse family backgrounds and experiences of upbringing.
Abstract
A team of five psychologists investigated five distinct areas of personal adaptation in serial rapists: personality measures, attitudes toward women, social skills, intelligence, and family background; this study focused on family background. The study involved 44 rapists and 20 robbers. Each of the psychologists collected all the data relevant to the five areas of study for each psychologist's sample pool. The data were then distributed to each psychologist according to the areas of study of each. Information about the family background of the offender was first collected from case records and scored with a case documentation schedule. Sample members were then interviewed to fill gaps in information. The hypothesis that serial rapists would report more negative family experiences of upbringing than serial robbers was partially supported. Although both groups had similar experiences of disruption of parental care, more rapists reported parental violence as a regular feature of home life. The ethnicity of rapists has important implications for treatment; ethnic minorities were overrepresented in rape offending, but they are significantly underrepresented in treatment regimes. Program managers should ensure that ethnic minorities are represented in treatment in accordance with their presence in the offender population. 12 tables and 39 references