NCJ Number
210576
Date Published
January 2005
Length
39 pages
Annotation
This report presents findings from an analysis conducted on the characteristics of male perpetrators of child maltreatment using 2002 case-level data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect System (NCANDS).
Abstract
The distribution and characteristics of male perpetrators are among the least studied aspects of child maltreatment. Understanding the characteristics and patterns of male perpetrators of child maltreatment assists in the designing of prevention and intervention approaches to meet their needs and protect the children. Utilizing case-level data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect System (NCANDS) for 2002, containing nearly 200,000 child maltreatment perpetrators, this report attempts to better understand the characteristics of male perpetrators, their maltreatment patterns, and the outcomes associated with their maltreatments. It also investigates the influence of a mother co-perpetrator on the circumstances surrounding the child maltreatment or the outcomes. Findings are presented in the areas of age, race, perpetrators as caregivers, number of child victims per perpetrator, perpetrators by sex of child victim, maltreatment of male and female perpetrators, drug and alcohol use of caregiver perpetrators, family violence of caregiver perpetrators, services received by perpetrators, recidivism of categories, actions and categories of male perpetrators by sex of victims, services received by perpetrators acting alone or in concert with mothers, and recidivism of perpetrators acting alone or in concert with others. The findings suggest that because male perpetrators have many different relationships with their victims, interventions that strengthen the role of fathers to prevent further child maltreatment and improve child well-being are a complex undertaking. The study identifies clear subgroups of male perpetrators, suggesting that intervention of all types may need to be more highly differentiated for these different groups. Figures and tables