Factors Related to Prosecution of Child Sexual Abuse Cases

ABSTRACT

This study explored how various factors regarding the victim, offender, abuse situation, and case evidence were related to prosecution decisions in child sexual abuse cases. Data were collected from records of 200 closed child sexual abuse cases served at a southwestern United States agency during 1989–1990. Results indicated that cases involving recently reported abuse and offenders who were charged with abusing multiple child victims were significantly more likely to be prosecuted than cases involving less recently reported abuse and offenders charged with abusing only one victim, respectively. In terms of the victim-offender relationship, prosecution was most likely for cases with offenders who were strangers, next most likely for acquaintances and step and extended family members, and least likely for biological nuclear family members. Also, cases with medical evidence of abuse were more likely to be prosecuted than cases without medical evidence only when serious abuse was involved. In addition, prosecution was significantly less likely for cases with younger victims than for cases with older victims. Seriousness of abuse, the presence of medical evidence, and recency of abuse did not account for this victim age-prosecution status relationship. Furthermore, no cases involving possible custody disputes were prosecuted. Implications are discussed concerning the need for focused and integrated efforts in responding to allegations of child sexual abuse.     

Factors Affecting Attitudes Toward Juvenile Sex Offenders

ABSTRACT

This study investigated attitudes toward juvenile sex offenders and factors influencing those attitudes. Additionally, the influences of perpetrator characteristics such as age, gender, and ethnicity on societal attitudes towards intervention requirements were also investigated. Overall, attitudes toward juvenile sex offenders and their treatment amenability were negative. No differences in attitudes toward juvenile sex offenders were found between those who had been victims of sexual abuse and those that had not. Sex offenses committed by juvenile female sex offenders were viewed to be more serious and require more intervention than those committed by juvenile male sex offenders.     

Factors Influencing Believing and Blaming in Reports of Child Sexual Abuse: Survey of a Community Sample

ABSTRACT

Believing and blaming of alleged victims of child sexual abuse (CSA) was measured in a community sample of 202 adults. Subjects completed a questionnaire consisting of vignettes in which 11-year-old girls reported being sexually abused. A majority of respondents viewed the girl's report of sexual abuse as truthful; however, alleged victim retractions significantly reduced the credibility ratings for those reports. The effect of perpetrator socioeconomic status (SES) did not reach significance on either alleged victim believing or blaming. Females were significantly more likely than males to believe the girl's report of abuse, and more likely to believe children's reports in general. Females were significantly less likely than males to blame the girl for the occurrence of the abuse. Gender differences on believing and blaming remained significant when effects of respondent age and education were removed as covariates. Estimates of the prevalence of CSA varied widely, with no significant gender difference. Over half of the respondents believed that alleged victims aged five years or younger should be allowed to testify in court in CSA cases.     

Understanding child sexual abuse by Catholic priests from a situational perspective

Most sexual offense research focuses on offender motivation and individual risk factors rather than the criminal events themselves. This article provides an analysis of data from two studies on child sexual abuse by Catholic priests to help understand the opportunities clergy had or created to abuse youth. Findings show that situational factors played a role in victim choice among a heterogeneous group of abusers. Priests abused more male than female victims and had significantly greater access to male youth historically. When access to female youth increased in the 1990s, abuse of females as a percentage of victims also increased. The article concludes with a discussion about how ecological information can be used to craft intervention policies to prevent sexual offenses.     

Partnering with parents to prevent childhood sexual abuse

Although research demonstrates that child‐focused sexual abuse prevention programmes can teach children personal safety knowledge and skills, childhood sexual abuse (CSA) prevention programmes that involve parents have a number of distinct advantages. The more knowledge parents have about CSA, the greater likelihood they can create safer environments for their children and thus prevent the occurrence of sexual exploitation. Research has demonstrated that parents lack crucial information about CSA and can benefit from even brief educational efforts. This paper will identify potential barriers to participation and offer practical suggestions for enhancing both recruitment and retention rates. Recommendations for parent education programmes are offered, including improving parents' confidence and skills in educating their children about CSA, providing them with parent‐friendly materials to use and developing Internet applications. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse by Targeting Pre-Offenders Before First Offense

The population of potential child abuse offenders has largely been unstudied. In the current study, we examine whether a six-component model used for primary diabetes prevention could be adapted to child sexual abuse pre-offenders, whereby individuals who are prone to sexual abuse but have not yet committed an offense can be prevented from committing a first offense. The six components include: define and track the magnitude of the problem, delineate a well-established risk factor profile so that at-risk persons can be identified, define valid screening tests to correctly rule in those with the disease and rule out those without disease, test effectiveness of interventions—the Dunkelfeld Project is an example, produce and disseminate reliable outcome data so that widespread application can be justified, and establish a system for continuous improvement. By using the diabetes primary prevention model as a model, the number of victims of child sexual abuse might be diminished.     

Victimization and Violence: An Exploration of the Relationship Between Child Sexual Abuse,Violence, and Delinquency

Child sexual abuse (CSA) continues to be a major public health issue with significant short- and long-term consequences. However, little contemporary research has examined the relationship between CSA and delinquent and violent behavior in adolescence. Children who have been sexually abused experience a unique form of victimization compared to children who have endured other forms of maltreatment, as CSA can result in feelings of shame, powerlessness and boundary violations. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of CSA on delinquent and violent behavior in adolescence. We examined self-report data at the age 18 interview from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) on measures of sexual abuse experience, and engagement in delinquent and violent behavior in the past year. All participants reported either a history of maltreatment or were identified at-risk based on demographic risk factors. Participants included 368 males and 445 females who self-reported experiences of CSA and delinquent and violent behavior (N = 813). Findings indicated that, when controlling for gender and race, the odds of engagement in delinquent and violent behavior for those who have experienced CSA are 1.7 times higher than for those who have not. Additionally, female victims of CSA were .52 times less likely to engage in violent and delinquent behavior compared to their male counterparts. Further efforts are needed to examine the effects of CSA on violent and delinquent behavior to better guide treatment efforts that prevent juvenile justice involvement.     

Myth versus Reality: Comparing the Depiction of Juvenile Delinquency in Metropolitan Newspapers with Arrest Data*

While the extant literature on the social construction of crime in the media is extensive, little literature exists on the media's construction of juvenile delinquency in newspapers, particularly in small cities. Even though smaller metropolitan areas have lower crime rates, how these newspapers construct delinquency undoubtedly impacts the attitudes, behaviors, and fears of residents, perhaps more so than in larger metropolitan areas. The purpose of this research is to assess how newspapers from five of the smallest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) socially construct juvenile delinquency, offenders and victims, and to assess whether or not these images perpetuate myths related to juvenile delinquency. An analysis of 231 articles indicates that small‐MSA newspapers construct an inaccurate image of juvenile offenders that significantly promotes the myth of juveniles as violent predators. Specifically, juvenile offenders are constructed as violent predators with innocent, random victims. In contrast, newspapers construct a more accurate picture of victims, with females represented as the most common juvenile victim, and sexual assault victimization as the most common of all juvenile violent crime victimization.     

Perceptions of child sexual abuse:victim and perpetrator characteristics, treatment efficacy, and lay vs. legal opinions of abuse

Two studies examined interactions between victim age and victim response, and victim relation to perpetrator and victim response influencing perceptions of child sexual abuse (CSA). Undergraduates read one of several vignettes describing a sexual encounter between a man and a girl. In Experiment 1, age of the girl was varied; victim age interacted with victim response to increase ratings of abuse and expected trauma for the girl. In Experiment 2, age was held constant while victim relation to perpetrator was varied; men gave higher ratings of abuse than did women for scenarios involving a step father rather than a neighbor, regardless of victim response. In both studies, psychotherapy was expected to help the victim more than the perpetrator and the law was judged to be less stringent than it is regarding CSA. Results suggest that perceptions of CSA are influenced by several factors and that laws regarding CSA may not be well understood.     

Childhood victimization and subsequent adult revictimization assessed in a nationally representative sample of women and men

The purpose of this study was to identify whether experiences of childhood physical and/or sexual victimization would increase women's and men's risk for victimization in adulthood by different perpetrators (any perpetrator regardless of the relationship to the victim; intimate partner perpetrator; non-intimate perpetrator) using a nationally representative sample. Results of hierarchical logistic regression analyses indicated that childhood victimization increased the risk for adulthood victimization by any perpetrator for men and women, and by an intimate partner for women but not men. Female and male victims of physical and/or sexual child abuse are at higher risk for adult victimization by non-intimate perpetrators. These results suggest the appropriateness of interventions among adults or young adults who have been victims of child abuse, to prevent any future victimization in adulthood. To guide the development of such prevention programs, research is needed to identify factors that affect the probability of adulthood victimization among child abuse victims.     

A study of the cycle of abuse among child molesters

The current study was designed to determine whether there is support for the cycle of abuse theory among child molesters. A group of 147 sex offenders on probation were used in this study. The victims of 32 of these offenders were under the age of 10, and 19 of these offenders reported a history of childhood sexual abuse. Results indicate that being abused as a child is related to being a child molester. It was also found that the MMPI-2 did not predict the status of the subjects in regard to being abused as a child and having a victim under 10-years-old.     

Young female sex offenders: assessment and treatment issues

Research on the characteristics and treatment of juvenile female sex offenders is limited. This article reviews the literature on female offenders and presents the results of a nationwide survey by mail of 250 mental health providers in private settings and residential treatment centers (RTCs), on approaches to diagnosing prior sexual abuse history and/or perpetration among juvenile females. Nineteen of the most experienced practitioners were also interviewed by telephone to provide further insight to the issues highlighted by the surveys. Key findings include the lack of research, tools, and literature on young female sex offenders and perceived differences between male and female offenders including history, treatment, and characteristics. Further study and awareness of this population is encouraged to address clinical needs.     

The contribution of childhood family violence on later intimate partner violence among robbery victims

This study examined the relative contributions of the three forms of childhood family violence exposure on physical intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization among recent robbery victims and tested a gender-matching modeling prediction for IPV risk. Data from a sample of 103 male and 93 female victims of a robbery were analyzed to investigate the effects of exposure to childhood physical abuse (CPA), childhood sexual abuse (CSA), and witnessing parental violence on the likelihood of IPV in adulthood. As expected, witnessing parental violence was associated with a 2.4-fold increase in IPV for both men and women. Neither CPA nor CSA was significantly associated with IPV after accounting for the effect of witnessing parental violence. There was support for the gender-matching hypothesis with men more likely to report IPV if they had witnessed mother-to-father violence and women more likely to report IPV if they had witnessed father-to-mother violence. Witnessing parental violence is strongly associated with risk for IPV victimization, particularly when the victim is the same-gender parent. Future directions and clinical implications are discussed.     

Judicial Decision-Making and Juvenile Offenders: Effects of Medical Evidence and Victim Age

ABSTRACT

A growing body of evidence suggests that jurors place greater weight on DNA or other types of forensic evidence than non-forensic evidence (Cole & Dioso-Villa, 2009). For cases involving child sexual abuse, certain types of evidence, including forensic medical evidence, may be viewed as more important or indicative of abuse than other types of evidence, such as victim statements or disclosure. The present study evaluated perceptions of juvenile offenders and victim credibility across four vignettes that systematically manipulated variables related to victim age and physical indicators of abuse. A sample of 636 participants read vignettes and answered questions pertaining to the vignette. Participants also provided demographic information and responded to a series of items assessing participants’ judicial decision-making strategies and outcomes. Broadly, the presence of medical evidence significantly influenced participants’ decision-making across a variety of variables, including verdict outcome, verdict confidence, confidence that the victim was truthful, and determinations involving sex offender registration and notification requirements. The influence of medical evidence and victim age on perceptions and sentencing of juvenile sex offenders across these and additional outcome variables will be discussed.     

Relationship to perpetrator, disclosure, social reactions, and PTSD symptoms in child sexual abuse survivors

This research examined victim relationship to the perpetrator, disclosure characteristics, social reactions, and PTSD in adult survivors' of child sexual abuse (CSA) identified in a convenience sample of 733 college students. Results indicated that relationship to the perpetrator was related to CSA characteristics and outcomes. More negative reactions such as disbelief were observed for those victimized by relatives compared with acquaintance and stranger victims, especially for those disclosing in childhood. Victims of relatives had more PTSD symptoms if they delayed disclosure, received more negative reactions in childhood, and engaged in self-blame at the time of the abuse. Results are discussed in the context of Freyd's (1996) betrayal trauma theory, in order to better understand the traumatic impact of CSA.     

The Characteristics of Child Sexual Abuse in the School Environment in Turkey

School may represent a protective factor, boosting the mental health of the student body, while also representing a risk factor that heightens the potential for mental health problems. The present study aims to identify the individual and familial characteristics associated with the incidents of child sexual abuse (CSA) in Turkey’s school environment. The incidents involving school-related CSA constituted 5.6% (N = 125) of 2,238 cases. The following was discovered: an adult committed the majority (64%) of CSA in the school environment; most adult perpetrators were teachers (62.5%). This study determined that the perpetrators manipulated the victims via methods that included physical abuse (11.2%), threats (19.2%), tricks/deception (15.2%), and taking photographs/videos with sexual content (3.2%); and CSA incidents involved intercourse (15.2%); and almost three-quarter of the victims of CSA in the school environment reported the incident late. This study indicates that peer perpetrators abuse younger victims and a greater proportion of male victims relative to adult perpetrators. In light of these findings, school security must be improved, especially in public schools, and trainings aimed at preventing bullying and sexual abuse (SA) should be given to all school staff, students, and parents.     

Female Juvenile Sexual Offenders: Understanding Who They Are and Possible Steps That May Prevent Some Girls From Offending

In recent years, there has been accumulating evidence that sexual abuse committed by females is not rare and can be just as traumatic as sexual abuse committed by males. Despite the increased recognition given to sex offending by adult women, however, very little attention has been given to sex offenses committed by juvenile females. There has further been very little published material that has focused specifically on intervening with female children and adolescents before they offend. In an attempt to fill this gap, this article describes common characteristics of juvenile female sex offenders, ways in which juvenile female sex offenders are similar to and different from juvenile male sex offenders, and the limitations that exist related to our knowledge about these offenders. Based on this information, suggestions are given for possible ways to intervene in the lives of at-risk female youth before they offend.     

The double victim: The sexually abused child and the judicial system

The American judical system continues to dampen the willingness of juvenile victims of sexual abuse to testify against their alleged abuser. A recent example of this continuing double victimization appears in the U.S. Supreme Court decision ofCoy v. Iowa (1988). The rights of minor sexual abuse victims are explored through case law, statutes, legal literature and historical references as they impact the minor during the judicial process. It is difficult to achieve justice for sexually abused children in a judicial system designed for adults; thus, the sexually abused child remains a double victim in our contemporary judicial system.     

Attributions of Blame among Victims of Child Sexual Abuse: Findings from a Community Sample

ABSTRACT

According to the attribution theory, negative outcomes of child sexual abuse (CSA) are thought to vary depending on whether CSA victims attribute the abuse to internal or external factors, respectively, self-blame and perpetrator-blame. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify abuse characteristics and attitudes that influence blame attributions among CSA victims from a community sample. Data from respondents with a history of CSA (N = 1,496) have been used in predicting blame attributions; perpetrator-blame, self-blame, or both. Results from a multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that attitudes toward gender roles had a significant effect on blame: victims were more likely to blame themselves when they endorsed more conservative gender attitudes than victims with more liberal attitudes. Implications for this finding are discussed.