Factors Influencing Sexual Offenders' Modus Operandi: An Examination of Victim-Offender Relatedness and Age

Abstract

Child sexual abuse is recognized as a national problem that has reached epidemic proportions. However, empirical investigations of offender behaviors associated with the sexual-offending process (i.e., modus operandi [MO]) are lacking in the literature yet critically needed to inform prevention and intervention initiatives. This investigation contrasted the MO of 114 adults and 114 adolescents who sexually offended against intrafamilial or extrafamilial victims. Study findings indentified adolescent offenders' more frequent use of a variety of MO strategies to gain victim compliance in sexual activity and to maintain victim silence following the onset of abuse, including approaches designed to coerce or manipulate victims. Results also indicated significant differences in offenders' MO based on their relatedness (i.e., intrafamilial or extrafamilial) to victims. Implications for prevention as well as offender and victim treatment are discussed.

Efeitos individuais e familiares em crimes: Abuso sexual, violência conjugal e homicídio

“…Estes resultados parecem apontar para que os abusadores sexuais sejam menos impulsivos do que os restantes agressores (não sexuais). Assim, podem ser explicados à luz da teoria do autocontrolo (Hirschi & Gottfredson, 2003), i.e., os indivíduos não agem impulsivamente, confirmando o que Kaufman et al (1998) e Marshall e Christie (1981) referem, no sentido de que alguns abusadores sexuais utilizam estratégias de sedução com as vítimas, tendo como objetivo pseudo-construírem relações de confiança e de afeto. De facto, o ciclo do abuso sexual, muitas vezes, passa por uma fase de planeamento e preparação, podendo mesmo não cometer o crime (Fisher, 2003), significando deste modo que estes agressores são capazes de adiar a gratificação imediata, revelando capacidade de autocontrolo (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990;Hirschi, 2004).…”

Adult and Juvenile Sexual Offenders: The Use of Violence and Fantasies

“…Generally, juvenile sex offenders who molest children target stranger victims in less than 10% of offenses (Mathews, Hunter, & Vuz, 1997). Although they primarily offend against children they know or are related to, juvenile offenders do use varied modus operandi and in fact juveniles use more modus operandi tactics than do adult offenders (Kaufman, Holmberg, Orts, McCrady, Rotzien, Daleiden, & Hilliker, 1998).…”

Young people, peer-to-peer grooming and sexual offending

“…Within, the offenders were more likely to give gifts to achieve trust (Kaufman et al, 1996). However, outside the family, young offenders commonly used drugs or alcohol to gain cooperation (Kaufman et al, 1998). Young people who engaged in HSB towards both boys and girls adopted a wider array of grooming strategies than those who abused only boys or girls (Kaufman et al, 1996).…”