SOC 4515-Sexual Offenses & Offenders

Global sexual violence is seen as

Public health and human rights issue

Children 2-17 at greatest risk for sexual violence globally. Women. Those with disabilities

#1 cause of female homicide in the U.S is

IPV

Ethiopia

highest rate for women experiencing IPV sexual violence (58.6%)

30%

Of women in Bangladesh report forced sexual initiation

FGM- what is it. Why is it still practiced?

•Female genital mutilation (FGM) involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

•FGM is a violation of the human rights of girls and women.

•The practice has no health benefits for girls and women.

•FGM can cause severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts, infections, as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths.

•Move toward medicalization

•More than 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM in 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia

•mostly carried out on young girls between infancy and age 15.

•Treatment of the health complications of FGM in 27 high prevalence countries is estimated to cost 1.4 billion USD per year and is projected to rise to 2.3 billion USD by 2047

•Social norm/convention in a culture

•FGM is associated with cultural ideals of femininity and modesty, which include the notion that girls are clean and beautiful after removal of body parts that are considered unclean, unfeminine or male.

Some countries believe FGM increases marriageability. Others consider it a rite of passage

Recidivism- definition and application to sex offenders

- Reoffending

- Lowest in CJ research

-Pattern and motivation and provide treatment

- Seek relationship

Typologies- why they are useful to implement

1- A classification schemes, that utilize offenders' characteristics and/or victim-choice information to outline a framework for analysis.

2- To better understand distinctions between types of offenders, researchers have created typologies

- Understanding the interpersonal and situational characteristics that are the basis of offending behavior will lead to a greater likelihood of controlling such behavior in the future

Specialists and generalists

Specialists- sex offenses repeat offenders

Generalists- likely do other crimes than sex crimes

Crimes against children-intra and extra familial

- Intrafamilial
- have a lower risk of re-offending than extrafamilial child sexual abusers.
- They tend to be older and more educated, and
- they are as, or more, receptive to treatment than other offenders
- Many studies have found that alcohol and/or substance abuse is common among intrafamilial offenders,
- offenders showed high rates of anxiety, had problematicfamily backgrounds, and showed confused thinking.

-Extrafamilial
- that extrafamilial and nonbiologicalintrafamilial abusers have higher levels of anxiety.
- Some child sexualabusers are violent; however, these are rare and tend to be extrafamilial offenderswho abuse both girls and boys

mixed type, deniers

Mixed type- Both

Deniers- who we can’t find their motive

More likely specialists, more likely to commit other non-sex crimes

Rapists

young onset of offending, escalation of behavior, social skill deficit

- heterogeneous group

- begin as more minor sexual deviancy

- many may misinterpret ques from potential victims, assuming negative cues that are not present

2 broad categories- sexual and non-sexual motivations

4 categories-exclusively sexual, sadistic, power & control, opportunistic

Exclusively Sexual- Aka sexual non-sadistic rapists

- May be more rare than other typologies

- See violence as the only way to secure sexual gratification

- Exhibit difficulty in normal relationships, social inadequacy

- Feelings of sexual inadequacy may lead to hypermasculinization resulting in rape

Sadistic- Most dangerous sex offenders

- Offenders’ gratification (Excitement) rooted in pain or fear

• May lead to sexual murder

-Predatory, high rate of recidivism, strangers, little/ no empathy

-Share characteristics w antisocial personality disorder

-Impulsive, trouble with anger management, aggressive

- Life with no long-term plans

-Escalate the level of violence with each offense

Power & Control

-Mysogenistic

- Humiliation- one aspect that may cause arousal

-Language, degrading demands, etc.

-May involve the use of date-rape drugs

-Roots in wartime sex crimes

-Soldiers in nearly every war have engaged in rape against enemy groups

Opportunistic

- AKA recreational or situational offenders

-Adventure-seeking, impulsive, delinquency

- Trouble with normal social relationships

- May be rooted in childhood

- Abusive, strict, inconsistent

- Generalists

- Opportunistic- Routine activities

Power-assertive, Power-reassurance, Anger retaliation, Anger- excitement

Power-Assertive

- Commits rape for the purpose of dominance

- Exhibits sense of entitlement

- Selfish rapist with no concern for victim

-Uses the con approach typically

Power- Reassurance

- Commits rape to dispel doubts about his sexual adequacy and masculinity

- Renders victim completely helpless and unable to resist

- Distorted perception of victim’s willful submission serves to alleviate diminished sense of worth and adequacy

- Preselects victim in advance, perhaps through peeping torn activities

- Selects victims in his age range, at the victim’s residence

- Attacks late evening or early morning when victim is alone

- Tends to use the surprise approach

Anger- retaliation

- Commits rape for the purpose of expressing hostility and rage toward women.

• Primary motive is revenge- to “get even” for real or perceived wrongdoings

• Degrades and humiliates his victims

Anger- excitement

- Rapes for the purpose of deriving pleasure or excitement from the suffering of the victim

- Seek to torture victim

Blitz

• Uses direct and immediate force to subdue the victim.

• Victim has no response time to defend herself/himself

• May use weapons, restraints, etc. to maintain control

• Relies primarily on physical strength to subdue the victim.

• Possesses confidence in physical abilities

• Exhibits negative attitudes toward women and non-rape relationships with women tend to be selfish, reducing the chance of a relationship

Con

Openly approaches victim using a ruse or ploy to gain access.
• Used to increase trust and lower guard.
• Offender – self-confident. Good communicator.
• Begins as friendly and warm. Once victim is isolated, demeanor changes and the threat of rape is introduced.

Surprise

Waits in hiding.
• Backseat of car, bushes, etc.
• May use threats or weapons to subdue the victim.
• May have pre-selected his/her victim
• Lacks confidence of the blitz attacker. Needs the element of surprise

Minimal

Little to no force

Moderate

Painful slaps or hits. May use profanity

Excessive

Beats many body parts. Bruises and lacerations. Very profane

Brutal

Sadistic torture

May use weapons/instruments

Infliction of physical and emotional pain primary objective

Victim requires hospitalization if she survives

Selfish and pseudo- unselfish behavior

Verbal-
• Similar to mannerisms in a consensual relationship. Compliments victim
• Degrades himself verbally
• Reassures that if she complies, he won’t hurt her.
• Forces her to say complimentary things to him- wants him to make love to her, she loves him, etc.

Sexual Behavior
• Typically won’t force sexual acts once he encounters verbal or physical resistance.
• Will attempt to reassure again, negotiate, or compromise.
• Will engage in criminal foreplay in attempts to arouse victim.
• May just walk away if unsuccessful.
Physical behavior-
• Seldom resorts to physical violence.
• Uses threats and coercion
• May brandish a weapon to intimidate.
• May engage in light hitting, but without intent to injure.

Verbal behavior
• Verbally abusive, offensive, threatening
• Non-personal and overtly sexual language.
• Demeaning language- no wonder she’s single, ugly, etc.
• Demands victims humiliate themselves by asking for or
describing sex acts

Sexual behavior-
• Force the victim to engage in any act he desires.
• Victim’s feelings, fear, etc., are of no concern
• No form of resistance will deter the rapist.
Physical behavior-
• Moderate, excessive, or brutal level of force.

Method of operation, sexual signature, crime scene staging

AKA modus operandi or M.O.
• Offender’s mode or method of operating during a crime.
• Learned behavior that is consistently used over a period of time due to its effectiveness.
• It may evolve over time as new behaviors are learned or the M.O. is refined

Three key purposes:
• 1. Protect offender’s identity
• 2. Ensure control of the victim and the success of the crime
• 3. Facilitate escape
• Ex: Choosing single women who live in isolated locations

Specific sexual acts or manners of behavior each
the time he commits a crime that are not necessary
to the commission of the crime.
• Typically derived from offender’s fantasies.
• Remain fairly consistent over time.
• Ex: hair color, stature, race, sex, position

Done in an attempt to mislead or distract police/ investigators.
• Could be done to elude arrest or to protect the victim

Treatment programs- most geared towards specialists- issue here?

Rape myths and rape culture- relationship between the terms. Definitions of each

Rape myths uphold rape culture

Subset of rape culture

•Rape culture- an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture.

•Rape myths- false beliefs people hold about sexual assault that shift blame from the perpetrator to the survivor

Characteristics of rape culture. Examples of rape myths

•use of misogynistic language

•the objectification of women’s bodies

•the glamorization of sexual violence, creating a society that disregards women’s rights and safety

•Myth: Rape happens only to “certain” types of women

•Myth: Rape and sexual assault are about sexual attraction and gratification.

•Myth: It’s not really rape when a person changes their mind in the middle of sexual activity.

•Myth: When it comes to sex, men can be provoked to “a point of no return.”

•Myth: Rape is usually violent and involves a stranger.

•Myth: If a person goes to their date’s room on the first date, it implies they are willing to have sex.

•Myth: A victim must have “asked for it” by being seductive, drunk, careless, high, etc.

•Myth: If a person doesn’t fight back, they weren’t really raped.

•Myth: If a person has an orgasm then they were not actually sexually assaulted.

Media’s role in sexual assault understanding. Public and CJ response

Media effects society, but also reflects it

Influences public perception of any social problem

Education

Influence individual’s attitudes, beliefs, and attribution of blame and responsibility

How media treats cases of sexual assault

Bring awareness to prevalence/ occurrence of SA

Framing, agenda-setting, priming

Framing- Reporting style. Different styles of reporting can result in different perceptions and societal responses

Agenda- Setting- How outlets choose which stories are shared. Research supports correlation between media emphasis and how society ranks importance of issues

Priming- Media suggesting what is important in the media May influence public response, decision making, etc

Euphemisms and language

Non-consensual sex- 6.5%

Oral Sex- 13.0%

Unwanted touching- 7.4%

Sex Act- 2.2%

Molested- 4.9%

Encounter- 16.0%

Engaged in 5.2%

Inappropriate- 3.1%

Accuser- 14.7%

Alleged/ Allegations- 78.4%

Claim- 6.9%

7#MeToo- history and founder

Other social media movements- impact they can have