NCJ Number
178369
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 42 Issue: 4 Dated: December 1998 Pages: 319-339
Date Published
1998
Length
21 pages
Annotation
A psychometric battery of measures that assessed a range of problem areas was completed by 140 convicted, untreated child molesters.
Abstract
The battery of scales determined the general level of social adequacy, the extent to which an individual owns responsibility for offending behavior and behavior in general, the extent to which an offender admits to having sexual problems, and issues related to the offense. Measures were adjusted for social desirability. Cluster analysis of the data identified men on the basis of deviancy (levels of pro-offending attitudes and social inadequacy) and denial (self-reported levels of offending behaviors). Examination of offense histories showed that high- deviancy men were more likely than low-deviancy men to have been convicted of a previous sexual offense; to have committed offenses against boys, or both boys and girls; to have committed extrafamilial, or both extra- and intrafamilial offenses; and to have had many victims. A method of identifying deviancy, which showed good cross-validation, also was developed. Although low-deviancy men were much more likely to be incest offenders than were high-deviancy men, nearly 40 percent of high- deviancy men were found to be intrafamilial offenders, suggesting that identifying deviancy level may be a useful adjunct to any risk assessment. 7 tables, 3 notes, and 38 references