NCJ Number
169166
Journal
Psychology Crime & Law Volume: 2 Issue: 4 Dated: (1996) Pages: 249-258
Date Published
1996
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Despite extensive research focused on criminal peer groups, little attention has been paid to peer groups of sex offenders; sex offenders are often considered to be loners who offend in isolation, but sex crime cases involving peer support are not difficult to find.
Abstract
To examine the role of peers in sexual offending, sex offenders and non-sex offenders were asked whether they knew other people who had committed sex offenses. Study participants were volunteers from Canadian correctional institutions or from centers involved in the clinical assessment and treatment of sex offenders. Of 149 charged/convicted sex offenders, 66 admitted to child molestation, 21 admitted to rape, and 39 admitted to both crimes. Comparison groups included men from the same communities as the sex offenders. These groups included 57 non-sexual criminals and 119 men from the general community. In comparison to the nonoffender community comparison group, sex offenders reported considerably more association and identification with other sex offenders. Associations tended to be offense-specific, such that child molesters knew other child molesters and rapists knew other rapists. The findings have important implications for the assessment and treatment of sex offenders. 34 references and 3 tables