Sexual Offending: An Elusive Phenomenon in Criminology’s Blind Spot

Abstract

Let's be clear. To date, scientific research in the field of sexual offending, like many other fields of research in the social sciences, has not always been very rigorous conceptually, theoretically, and methodologically. Research has been at times fragmented and conducted in vacuum. The results of scientific research have appeared inconsistent and somewhat contradictory at times. To some, scientific research on the issue of sexual offending has appeared somewhat disconnected and disjointed from current events of the time. This is reminiscent of Popper (1962, p. 216) who once wrote that "The history of science, like the history of all human ideas, is a history of irresponsible dreams, of obstinacy, and of error. But science is one of the very few human activities-perhaps the only one-in which errors are systematically criticized and fairly often, in time, corrected. This is why we can say that, in science, we often learn from our mistakes, and why we can speak clearly and sensibly about making progress there."This brings us to the third premise of the book, which is that social science has done a poor job of debunking myths, misconceptions, and hasty and erroneous conclusions about sexual offending that remain numerous and widespread among the general population, but also among the policymakers and practitioners that play a key role in the sociolegal response to sexual offenses. Social advocacy groups have, for many years, not only challenged myths and misconceptions about victims of sexual offenses, they have shed light on how such misconceptions had a serious and primarily negative societal, cultural, legal, and individual impact. These myths and misconceptions about victims of sexual offenses (e.g., victim-blaming stereotypes) have played an important role in shaping negative attitudes and distorted beliefs that have significantly impacted: (a) the sociolegal response to sexual offenses and (b) the willingness of victims to come forward. While the general public and policymakers are more aware of these myths and misconceptions about victims of sexual offenses, the same is not true about the myths and misconceptions established regarding perpetrators of such actions. In fact, there is a substantial gap between scientific knowledge and public perceptions of the individuals that perpetrate sexual offenses. These myths and misconceptions are sufficiently widespread that, over the years, they have fueled the populist, ideological, and pseudo-scientific discourse that has left a strong imprint both on the social construction of sexual offending and on the legal and penal responses to it.