Repeat Offending, Victim Gender, and Extent of Victim Relationship in Catholic Church Sexual Abusers

Perillo, Anthony D.; Mercado, Cynthia Calkins; Terry, Karen J.

doi:10.1177/0093854808314368

Cited by 22 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…For example, clergy abusers are older and a personal history of sexual abuse seems to be a strong predictive factor for recidivism, unlike the general sexual recidivism literature (Hanson & Morton-Bourgon, 2005; Piquero et al, 2008). Being a victim of sexual abuse as a child might, therefore, contribute to the relationship with children and also to the decision to become a priest (Perillo et al, 2008). This hypothesis is supported by a case-control study that compared offending clergy to nonoffending clergy.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Child Sexual Abuse by Catholic Priests, Deacons, and Male Members of Religious Orders in the Authority of the German Bishops’ Conference 1946–2014

et al. 2019

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This study explores the extent of sexual abuse of minors by members of the Catholic Church in Germany. It is the first comprehensive study to examine this extent in a European country. The goals of this study are as follows: (a) to analyze whether the extent and characteristics of sexual abuse in a European country are comparable to those in the United States and Australia and (b) how discrepancies can be explained. The personnel files of 38,156 Catholic Priests, deacons, and male members of religious orders in the authority of the German Bishops’ Conference were analyzed. The study period lasted from 1946 to 2014. All 27 German dioceses took part in this study. A total of 4.4% of all clerics ( N = 1,670) from 1946 to 2014 were alleged to have committed sexual abuse, and 3,677 children or adolescents were identified as victims. These results are similar to those from comparable studies in the United States. Sexual abuse of minors within the authority of the Catholic Church seems to be a worldwide phenomenon.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Child Sexual Abuse by Catholic Priests, Deacons, and Male Members of Religious Orders in the Authority of the German Bishops’ Conference 1946–2014

et al. 2019

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“…Strategies of denial and cover-up emerged from institutional cultures which valued secrecy, clerical elitism and the protection of the 'good name' of the Catholic Church and its clerics (McLoone-Richards 2012; Perillo et al 2008;Pilgrim 2012;Wirenius 2011).…”

Section: Institutional Abuse Internationallymentioning

confidence: 99%

Bad Apples, Bad Barrel: Exploring Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse by Catholic Clergy in Australia

Death

2015

Int J for Crime, Justice & Social Democracy

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This paper considers constructions of institutional culture and power in the cover-up of child sexual abuse (CSA) by clergy in the Roman Catholic Church of Australia. The issue of cover-up has previously been considered in international inquiries as an institutional failing that has caused significant harm to victims of CSA by Catholic Clergy. Evidence given by select representatives of the Catholic Church in two government inquiries into institutional abuse carried out in Australia is considered here. This evidence suggests that, where cover-up has occurred, it has been reliant on the abuse of institutional power and resulted in direct emotional, psychological and spiritual harm to victims of abuse. Despite international recognition of cover-up as institutional abuse, evidence presented by Roman Catholic Representatives to the Victorian Inquiry denied there was an institutionalised cover-up. Responding to this evidence, this paper queries whether the primary foundation of cover-up conforms to the 'bad apple theory' in that it relates only to a few individuals, or the 'bad barrel theory' of institutional structure and culture.

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“…Nevertheless, a literature base has gradually taken shape, and Perillo et al (2008) have noted similar risk factors that are relevant to both clerical and non-clerical abusers. Haywood et al (1996) reported that clerics convicted of sexual offending tend to be older, better educated, and single when compared to other sex offenders.…”

Section: Reasons For Referralmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Psychological Assessment of Clerics

Jack

Wilcox²

2017

Pastoral Psychol

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The psychological assessment of novice and experienced clerics is an important component of ordination, suitability, and risk evaluation to ensure that representatives of religious organizations are equipped, motivated, and safe for a life commitment to a faith vocation. It is the authors’ opinion that such assessments should be conducted by skilled psychologists with expertise that covers occupational, clinical, and forensic domains. Further, the authors emphasize the importance of an objective and secular assessment to better inform the church about its role and responsibility for the oversight and spiritual development of the cleric. A thorough psychological assessment should incorporate a multimodal approach to information gathering, which includes a comprehensive review of background information and medical records, a personal history interview, a mental status examination, and administration of relevant psychometric measures and assessment tools. We also advise that, upon completion of the assessment, the requesting religious organization should be offered the opportunity to meet with the evaluating psychologist to discuss suitability issues and, if necessary, risk management planning.

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Repeat Offending, Victim Gender, and Extent of Victim Relationship in Catholic Church Sexual Abusers

Cited by 22 publications

References 35 publications

Child Sexual Abuse by Catholic Priests, Deacons, and Male Members of Religious Orders in the Authority of the German Bishops’ Conference 1946–2014

Child Sexual Abuse by Catholic Priests, Deacons, and Male Members of Religious Orders in the Authority of the German Bishops’ Conference 1946–2014

Bad Apples, Bad Barrel: Exploring Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse by Catholic Clergy in Australia

The Psychological Assessment of Clerics

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