Crime Scene Behaviors Indicate Risk-Relevant Propensities of Child Molesters

Abstract

The current study used crime scene analysis (CSA) to identify the psychological characteristics of child molesters and examined the contribution of these behavioral themes for sexual offender risk assessment. CSA was conducted on a sample of 424 cases of child sexual abuse in Berlin (Germany) using non-metric Multi-Dimensional Scaling. The analysis revealed the behavioral themes of fixation, regression (sexualization), criminality, and (sexualized) aggression, consistent with previous theories and empirical research in child molestation. The construct validity of the four themes was demonstrated through correlational analyses with known sexual offending measures, ratings of offender motivation, and criminal histories. The themes of fixation and (sexualized) aggression were significant predictors of sexual recidivism and added incrementally to the Static-99 for the prediction of sexual recidivism. The results indicate that crime scene information can inform the assessment of child molesters' risk-relevant propensities and improve the prediction of sexual recidivism.

Validating the Utility of the Wilson Sex Fantasy Questionnaire With Men Who Have Sexually Offended Against Children

“…Also, the “Incestuous sexual relations” item showed a moderate positive correlation with the Regression theme. This aligns with Lehmann et al’s (32) findings showing that the Regression theme was related to the closeness of the victim–offender relationship, indicating proximity to incestuous relations. However, despite the size of the correlations, it should be emphasized that they did not survive the conservative Bonferroni correction we applied.…”

“…These were “Having sex with someone much younger than yourself” and “Seducing an innocent.” While these two items do not directly refer to children (e.g., a 50-year-old who fantasizes about a 25-year-old movie star may rate high on the former item), it has been argued that they involve “partners whose qualities could be seen as matching those of children (innocence and aged significantly younger)” (19, p. 28). We were additionally interested in the “Having incestuous sexual relations” item as it could reflect the offending behavior predominantly engaged in by SOC with a “regression” propensity (32). Please note that this item is rather vague and does not directly refer to children as well.…”

“…The offense-related information present in the offender participants’ case files was independently coded by two research assistants. This involved coding for the presence of 39 crime scene behaviors using the coding scheme devised by Lehmann et al (32). Of the 54 available case files, 37 provided specific details that could be sufficiently coded.…”

“…After these initial codings, the first author examined each case file independently in order to provide the final decision on whether the crime scene behavior was present or not. Finally, following Lehmann et al (32), the “present” crime scene variables associated with each behavioral theme (i.e., Fixation, Regression, Criminality, and Aggression) were averaged. This resulted in a continuous Thematic Sum Score (TSS) for the four behavioral themes.…”

“…Third, construct validity was tested again. This was done by examining whether the WSFQ subscales and child-related items correlated with four behavioral themes identified in SOCs by Lehmann et al (32) using crime scene data. These behavioral themes include a) Fixation (characterized by a persistent attraction to children), b) Regression [characterized by nonparaphilic sexual excitation and victim availability (e.g., in family setting) in response to intimacy deficits], (c) Criminality (where sexual abuse occurs in the context of generalized criminal behavior), and (d) Sexualized Aggression (characterized by offenses that involve overtly expressive aggression including behavioral indicators of sexual sadism).…”