Child Sex Offenders: Understanding the Enemy The Webinar will begin shortly. While you are waiting please answer the following question using Twitter: @SHSscreening How much do you know about sex offenders? Use #sexoffender when answering so all can see CHILD MOLESTERS •Significantly older person than his/her victim; •who engages in any type of sexual activity; •with individuals legally defined as children. No Distinction with regards to: •Male or female •Acute or chronic offending •Violent or non-violent •Prepubescent or pubescent •Known or unknown to the victim •Related or unrelated Pedophiles •Individual with chronic behavior; •who prefers to have sex with individuals legally considered children. •The pedophile is one whose sexual fantasies and erotic imagery focus on children. Are all pedophiles child molesters? No. A person suffering from any paraphilia can legally engage in the behavior by fantasizing and masturbating. If he does not act out with a child, then he is not a child molester. Are all child molesters pedophiles? No. A pedophile is an individual who prefers to have sex with children. A person who prefers to have sex with an adult partner, may for any number of reasons, decide to have sex with a child. Dr. A. Nicholas Groth Fixation (persistent pattern) Primary, if not exclusive, sexual attraction to children Regression (new activity or change) Sexual involvement with children is a clear departure, under stress, from his primary sexual attraction to age-mates. Knight, R & Prentky, R Typology based on: •Social competence •sexual preoccupation with children •non-offense contact with children •physical injury to child •sadism Problems with using typologies: •The difficulty of attempting to put complex human behavior into neat categories. •Female v. male offenders •Adolescent sexual offenders •Source of information is from the offender •Less than 10% of child sexual abuse comes to the attention of law enforcement, our knowledge is based on a sub-set. •Multiple paraphilias are the rule, not the exception (Abel, G). •Sentencing motivations •Incest offenders Dr. Park Elliot Dietz Situational v Preferential Offenders SA Kenneth V. Lanning Situational Child Molesters •Does not have a true sexual preference for children. •Engages in sex with children for varied and complex reasons. •Usually has fewer numbers of victims. •Other vulnerable groups include the elderly and disabled. Situational/Regressed •Low self-esteem and poor coping skills. •children are sexual substitutes. •Precipitating stress situation. •Victim criterion: availability •Method of operation: coercion •Very common offender •May or may not collect pornography •If he does have pornography it will be home-made Teacher pic Morally Indiscriminate •Sexual abuse of children is part of a general pattern of abuse in his life. •He is a user and abuser of people. •He lies, cheats, or steals whenever he thinks he can get away with it. •He molests children for a simple reason, “Why not?” •Victim criterion: vulnerability and opportunity •Will use force, lure/manipulation to obtain victims. •May violently or nonviolently abduct •Victims may be known or unknown to the offender •Frequently collects porn, S/M materials, if child usually prepubertal. Pic of jordon here Sexually Indiscriminate •Comparable to the morally indiscriminate offender, except he is discriminating in his behavior except when it comes to sex. •“Trysexual”-willing to try anything •His motive is sexual experimentation •Has sex with children out of boredom •Victim criterion: new and different •May involve children in previous existing sexual activity. •Victim may be his own. •Sex groups, spouse-swapping or part of some bizarre ritual. •Higher socioeconomic background •Does collect pornography/erotica, CP will be a small part of. Inadequate •May include those suffering from psychoses, mental retardation and senility. •Social misfit •Becomes involved sexually with children out of insecurity or curiosity. •Finds children non-threatening •Victim criterion: known or stranger •Some have difficulty expressing anger which builds and can explode--possibly against a child. •May collect pornography, tends to be of adults. Preferential Child Molesters •Definite sexual preference for children. •Sexual fantasies/imagery focus on children. •Engage in highly predictable sexual behaviors. •Even if counterproductive •Potentially, large number of victims. •Not only have problem as a result of the nature of the sex drive (attraction to children) but also quantity (need for frequent and repeated sex with children). •Victim criterion: age /gender preferences •Higher socioeconomic groups over-represented •Prefer boys over girls NAMBLA North American Man/Boy Love Association Seduction •“seducing”, courting, attention and gifts. •Over a period of time •Gradually lowering their sexual inhibitions. •Victims willing to trade sex for attention •Involved simultaneously with multiple victims •Children may be members of same church, scout groups or neighborhood •Identifies with children •Knows how to talk and more importantly listen to children •Is always recruiting, maintaining and dumping victims. Introverted •Preference for children but no interpersonal skills •Minimum amount of verbal communication •Victims are usually strangers and/or very young children •More likely to hang around school yards etc.. •May expose himself or engage in obscene phone calls Sadistic •Sexual preference for children. •Needs to inflict psychological or physical pain/suffering to a child to gain sexual arousal/gratification •Uses lures and/or force to secure victims •More apt than any others to abduct and murder. •Very rare, estimated as less than 1% of child offenders. Identifying Pedophiles •Preferential sex offenders are the primary sexual exploiters (v. hands on offending) of children. •Sexual Exploitation: Child porn, prostitution, sex rings Prefernetial v. Situational offenders •281.7 acts with 150.2 victims (outside the home) •81.3 acts with 1.8 partners (within the family) •23.3% offended both in and out of the family Dr. Gene Abel (n=561 sex offenders) Four Major Characteristics of the Preferential Child Molester 1) Long-term and persistent pattern of behavior, 2) children as preferred sexual objects, 3) well-developed techniques in obtaining victims and 4) sexual fantasies focusing on children. Caution: The indicators alone mean little. Weight is assigned once they accumulate to form a pattern of behavior. 1. Long-Term and Persistent Pattern of Behavior •Sexual abuse history (age, relationship, acts performed) •Limited social contact as teenagers (onset of pedophilia) •Premature separation from military •Frequent and unexpected moves •Prior arrests •Multiple victims •Planned, repeated or high-risk attempts. 2. Children as Preferred Sexual Objects •Over 25, single, never been married •Live alone or with parents •Limited dating relationships •If married, has “special” relationship with spouse •Excessive interest in children •Associates and circle of friends are young •Limited/guarded peer relationships (under employed) •Age and gender preference •Refers to children as “pure”, “clean”, “innocent” or as objects 3. Well-Developed Techniques in Obtaining Victims •Skilled at identifying vulnerable victims •Identifies with children (listens to children) •Access to children •Activities with children, often excluding adults •Seduces with attention, affection, and gifts •Skilled at manipulating children •Has hobbies and interests appealing to children •Shows sexually explicit material to children 4. Sexual Fantasies Focusing on Children •Youth-Oriented decorations in house or room •Photographing children (clothed) •Collecting child pornography/erotica Three Most Important indicators for Investigators: •Access to children •Multiple victims •Child pornography/erotica The LAPD Sexually Exploited Child (SEC) Unit examined the relationship between extrafamilial (outside the family) child sexual abuse and pornography in their cases over a ten year period from 1980-1989. Pornography was directly involved in 62% of the cases and actually recovered in 55% of the total cases. Multiple Paraphilias (Abel, G.) MULTIPLE PARAPHILIAS _____, named all-around student of his graduating class, has blended a mix of academics, extracurricular activities, and service to the community during his high school years. He is pictured here with Scout, one of the dogs he looks after at the Monadnock Region Humane Society. COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS OF SEXUAL OFFENDERS The majority of sex offenders know that their deviant behavior was contrary to the morals and ethics of our society, yet they gave themselves permission to engage in such deviant behavior. These “permission-giving statements” are cognitive distortions used by sex offenders to justify their behaviors. (Becker, J. & Kaplan, M, 1988) There are some offenders who report that viewing pornography at times stimulates their sexual fantasies, arouses their urge to assault someone, and activates their offense behavior, much as another person might find that the sight or smell of food cooking has focused his attention on food, stimulated his appetite, and activated his inclination to eat. (Groth, A & Oliveri, F, 1989) Other sexual offenders describe pornography as serving to diminish and inhibit their inclinations to commit an offense. For these persons, using pornography may be a safe outlet through which they discharge unacceptable and/or unwanted sexual inclinations, much as a person who has just eaten loses his appetite. (Groth, A & Oliveri, F, 1989) The majority of sexual offenders with whom we have worked, however, report that pornography neither elicited nor inhibited such proclivities. Nor did we find that pornographic material played a significant role in the lives of most sexual abusers of children either as something to which they were exposed during their childhood or as something that played a role in the activation of their sexual assaults. It may be that pornography reflects an individual’s erotic interests, but it does not appear to play a significant role in creating such interests. (A. Nicholas Groth & Frank J. Oliveri, 1989) Abel and Becker Cognitive Scale-1984 1. Projection 2. Consent/will 3. Rationalization/Altruism 4. Intellectualization 5. Illegal v. Ethical v. Moral 6. Alternative Theories 1. Projection The individual projects certain emotions/behaviors onto another person. …,many pedophiles believe that, if the child shows curiosity about sexual matters, he or she is interested in pursuing sexual activity. (Matetzky, B, 1991) COGNITIVE DISTORTION When a young child asks an adult about sex, it means that she (he) wants to see the adult’s sex organs or have sex with the adult. COGNITIVE DISTORTION When a young child walks in front of me with no or only a few clothes on, she(he) is trying to arouse me. •She wasn’t a virgin anyway. •She kept after me so I finally gave in. •She was having sex with her uncle since she was seven. Obviously, she didn’t object, so she must have loved it. •I offered her money to have sex and she accepted it. She’s a slut and everyone knows it. •It’s that damned pornography. •Its that damned alcohol. 2. Consent/will …,if a child does not immediately and forcefully resist early sexual advances, he or she actually desired sexual activity. (Matetzky, B, 1991) …offenders may also believe that a child can offer sexual consent despite the child’s lack of experience and an adult perspective with which to do so. (Matetzky, B, 1991) COGNITIVE DISTORTION A child will never have sex with an adult unless the child really wants to. •I never, never use force! •I only do what the child is ready for. •He/she was free to do it with me or not, it was totally his/her choice. •I didn’t want to do it, it was all her idea. •Every child knows what he/she wants and what feels good to them and they should be empowered to decide who they have sex with. 3. Rationalization/Altruism The process of attaching what we believe to be logical reasons for our behavior. Living for the good of others. COGNITIVE DISTORTION Having sex with a child is a good way for an adult to teach the child about sex. COGNITIVE DISTORTION When a young child has sex with an adult, it helps the child learn how to relate to adults in the future. •He is uncircumcised and needed me to show him how to keep himself clean. •It happened to me so I’m not fully responsible for doing it to him/her. •I think the sex we shared made him/her a better and more adjusted person. 4. Intellectualization Group Rationalization COGNITIVE DISTORTION If a child has sex with an adult, the child will look back at the experience as an adult and see it as a positive experience. •It’s ok to have sex with children in other cultures. It’s only our uptight, puritanical rules which prevent adults and children from engaging in a perfectly healthy and normal activity. •Almost all ancient cultures involved intergenerational sex. •Sex before 8 or its to late! 5. Illegal v. Ethical v. Moral COGNITIVE DISTORTION There’s nothing wrong with what I did. It’s just illegal, that’s all. But there’s nothing wrong with it. COGNITIVE DISTORTION Sometimes in the future, our society will realize that sex between a child and an adult is all right. 6. Alternative Theories COGNITIVE DISTORTION A man is justified in having sex with his children or stepchildren, if his wife doesn’t like sex. COGNITIVE DISTORTION It’s better to have sex with your child (or someone’s else’s child) than to have an affair. •I suspected my daughter was sexually touching her younger brother. So I had sex with her to teach her a lesson. •We were just bathing together to conserve water. •It was dark and I thought it was my wife. •She’s retarded so I didn’t think she’d mind. •I was just giving her/him a back rub and one thing led to another. •She doesn’t look her age, I thought she was at least 12. DetSgt. James F. McLaughlin jmclaughlin@ci.keene.nh.us Keene Police 400 Marlboro St. Keene, NH 03431