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The prevalence of online child pornography is a major societal issue. The criminal justice system has struggled with assessing the risk of individuals involved in online sexual offenses against children, especially when it involves the possession of child pornography. Research suggests there are different categories of offenders involved in this type of behavior (e.g., Online Child Pornography Offenders, Dual Offenders, Contact Offenders), with each category having different motivations, contributing factors, and levels of risk to re-offend or escalate their criminal behavior to more serious offenses (i.e., collecting pictures to contact offending). Determining the risk that individuals involved in online sexual offenses against children pose to re-offend or escalate their criminal behavior has been problematic. Traditional sexual offender risk measures have lower predictive validity when dealing with online child pornography offenders. This article discusses the need for a formalized hybrid risk assessment model that combines the current online sex offenses against children risk measures with digital forensics artifact analysis. The evidence derived from digital forensics artifact analysis can supplement the predictive risk factors obtained from these risk assessment tools, thus increasing the reliability and validity of the risk assessment.

Post-traumatic stress levels and factors influencing the sexual abuse period may differ between victims. This cross-sectional study conducted a secondary analysis of primary online survey data extracted from a previous study. We examined the extent of trauma (types, timing) and depression, pain, resilience, and social support associated with post-traumatic stress affecting the post-traumatic stress percentile. Among 3000 adults aged 19-65 years, 1223 adults experienced childhood sexual abuse, adulthood sexual abuse, or childhood and adulthood sexual abuse. We conducted descriptive statistics, multiple linear regression, and simultaneous quantile regression. Quantile regression analysis showed the 80th percentile groups in childhood sexual abuse, education, depression, and social support were significantly associated with post-traumatic stress. Depression was significantly and positively associated with post-traumatic stress. Resilience was significantly and negatively associated with post-traumatic stress in adulthood sexual abuse victims. Depression and pain were significantly and positively associated with post-traumatic stress in childhood and adulthood sexual abuse victims. Post-traumatic stress severity and influencing factors differed according to victims' age when the sexual abuse occurred, implying interventions should be tailored to each victim's post-traumatic stress level.

Sex offender residence restrictions are largely symbolic laws that address constituent demands to do something about sex crimes without actually reducing sex offenses. While the majority of US states have implemented such restrictions, this exploratory study examines three states that have resisted the allure of these symbolic laws. Using data from state government archives, we analyze expressive and instrumental rationales for rejecting residence restrictions to explore what facilitates the failure of a symbolic law. We find that while supporters and opponents both made largely instrumental arguments, opponents framed their instrumental arguments in expressive terms. Legislators’ policy positions, reliance on empirical evidence, and testimony from bureaucrats also contributed to the failure of residence restrictions in these states. Our findings help explain why empirically ineffective sex offender laws appeal to the public and politicians, how these laws might be scaled back, and how symbolic laws may lose their power in some contexts.

There is a lack of knowledge on mentally disordered sex offenders (MDSOs) targeting adult victims, especially regarding recidivism patterns and the specific subgroup with psychiatric disorders. This paper presents index offense data, clinical data, and recidivism patterns over up to 24 years in a cohort of 146 MDSOs, with and without psychotic disorders, sentenced in Sweden between 1993 and 1997. At the time of the offense, all offenders were affected by clinical, developmental, and criminal history factors. MDSOs with psychotic disorders only marginally differed from those without, the former being less likely to have been institutionalized during childhood, intoxicated during the index offense, or diagnosed with a personality disorder, substance use disorder, or paraphilic disorder. In the cohort, 3.4% of the MDSOs were reconvicted for a new sex offense over 2 years, 9.6% over 5 years, 13.0% over 10 years, and 17.1% over the entire follow-up period of 24 years. In MDSOs with psychotic disorders, no subjects were reconvicted during the first 2 years, while 2.6% were reconvicted over 5 years, 5.3% over 10 years, and 7.9% over 24 years. Recidivism rates for violent and general reoffenses were 39.0% and 37.7%, respectively, for the cohort of MDSOs, and subjects with psychotic disorders reoffended significantly later in general offenses. In conclusion, MDSOs with psychotic disorders showed the same recidivism pattern as MDSOs without psychotic disorders. Furthermore, recidivism research may preferably focus on follow-up periods of 5-10 years since most offenders appear to recidivate within this timeframe.

In recent years, social media has been widely used as a tool for feminist social movements, addressing social problems such as sexual assault traumatization. This research aims at understanding how social media users utilized Twitter to describe traumatic sexual assault experiences and reasons victims chose not to disclose their experiences (Study 1), and how users became a part of the digital activism (i.e., social media movement against sexual assault) to increase social actions (Study 2). Tweets using the hashtag #WhyIDidntReport and #MeToo were extracted. Thematic analyses were used to analyze tweets across the two studies. Results from Study 1 revealed that social media victims who self-disclosed their victimization stories often reported having serious psychological impacts, a sense of helplessness, and issues with the police. Study 2 further uncovered that social media users engaged in hashtag activism through discussing views on relevant political and social issues, sharing resources to help sexual assault victims, and promoting social actions (e.g., protests, voting).

Objective The objective of this study was to examine nurse sexual‐misconduct–related reports in the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) and to compare them with reports for other types of offenses. Design and Population We analyzed NPDB’s reports of adverse state nursing board licensure actions and malpractice payments for all nurses from January 1, 2003, to June 30, 2016. Results Overall, 882 nurses had sexual‐misconduct–related reports. Most were aged 35–54 (63.2%), male (63.2%), and registered or advanced practice nurses (61.5%). The disciplinary actions noted in the 988 nurse sexual‐misconduct–related licensure reports were more frequently serious than those noted in the 207,023 reports for other offenses committed by nurses (90.8% vs. 74.8%, respectively; p

Sex offenses are among the crimes that provoke serious public concern. The federal response to the problem of sex offending has resulted in an exponential increase in the number of sex offenders on federal post‐conviction supervision; however, relatively few studies have explored whether and how well the actuarial risk instrument currently used by federal probation officers—the federal Post Conviction Risk Assessment instrument (PCRA)—accurately predicts reoffending behavior among the federal sex offender population. This study uses a unique dataset of approximately 5,300 convicted sex offenders on federal supervision to investigate the PCRA's capacity to effectively predict subsequent recidivism activity for convicted federal sex offenders. Results show that the PCRA accurately predicts recidivistic behavior involving the commission of any felony or misdemeanor offenses, violent offenses, and probation revocations for this population. However, the PCRA's predictive capacities deteriorate when the instrument is used to assess the likelihood of sexual recidivism. In addition, this study showed that offenders convicted of online child pornography offenses presented some challenges in terms of predicting their reoffending behavior as they manifested lower PCRA risk scores and recidivism rates than offenders convicted of other major federal sexual offenses that involve hands‐on behavior.

Research on female sexual homicide has been very scarce. In Europe, it has rarely been examined, and in Scotland, it has never previously been studied. This exploratory study aims to examine the characteristics of sexual homicides involving female offenders between 1990 and 2015 in Scotland. Using data from the Scottish Homicide Database between 1990 and 2015, female sexual homicides (n = 7) were compared to nonsexual homicides committed by females (n = 106) and to sexual homicides committed by men (n = 89) using Fisher’s exact tests. The findings show that although female sexual homicide offenders are similar to both female nonsexual homicide offenders and male sexual homicide offenders in certain aspects, there are important differences that distinguish sexual homicides involving female offenders from both groups. Female sexual homicide offenders can arguably be seen as a distinct group of offenders, with specific characteristics and specific needs.

In the realm of sexual offenses, there has been a decrease in hands-on offenses, but an increase in online offenses against children. The current issue is whether online and offline sexual offenders are alike or differ. This literature review investigates the differences among individuals who have committed child pornography offenses, individuals who have committed contact offenses against children, and individuals who have committed both. This review discusses the various typologies that have been proposed of those who have committed online offenses against children, the diagnostic implications of having committed child pornography offenses, and the current state of treatment and prevention of individuals who have committed online sex offenses against children. The studies examined were found from psychology databases, listserv links, and references of those collected articles. Only articles in English were included in the review. Overall, Internet child pornography offenders (ICPOs) tend to score significantly differently from contact offenders on various psychological measures. These findings may imply that ICPOs have different treatment needs than contact offenders.

Individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BD) are at an increased risk of Suicidal ideation, attempts, and death. Moreover, a strong association exists between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and suicidal ideation among individuals with BD. Yet growing evidence suggests that existential well-being (EWB) may be a protective factor against suicidality. In this study, adult BD patients (N = 112) provided data on CSA, religious well-being (RWB; spiritual life in relation to God), EWB (purpose/meaning in life), and suicidal ideation. Participants were between 19 and 65 years of age. The majority was female and described their race/ethnicity as African American. Results indicated that CSA was negatively associated with EWB and was not related to RWB. Further, EWB mediated the association between CSA and suicidal ideation, whereas RWB did not. Having meaning/purpose in life may serve as a protective factor against suicidal ideation among individuals with BD who experienced CSA, whereas having a relationship/belief in God may not serve the same function.

One of the most widely covered aspects of the current conflict in South Sudan has been the use sexual violence by rival factions of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) and other armed groups. While this has had the positive effect of ensuring that sexual violence is an integral component of intervention strategies in the country, it has also had a number of unintended consequences. This paper demonstrates how the narrow focus on sexual violence as a 'weapon of war', and the broader emergency lens through which the plight of civilians, especially women, has been viewed, are overly simplistic, often neglecting the root causes of such violence. More specifically, it highlights how dominant discourses on sexual violence in South Sudan's conflict have disregarded the historically violent civil-military relations that have typified the SPLM/A's leadership, and the structural violence connected with the local political economy of bride wealth and the associated commodification of feminine identities and bodies.

Objective: Sexual violence (SV) against adult women is prevalent and associated with a range of mental health issues. General practitioners could potentially have a role in responding, however, there is little information to help guide them. Data around prevalence of all forms of adult SV (not just rape) is inconsistent, particularly in clinical samples, and the links between other forms of SV and mental health issues are not well supported. This study aimed to address these gaps in the knowledge base. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in Australian general practice clinics. Two hundred and thirty adult women completed an anonymous iPad survey while waiting to see the doctor. Results: More than half the sample had experienced at least one incident of adult SV. Most commonly, women reported public harassment or flashing, unwanted groping and being coerced into sex. Women who had experienced adult SV were more likely to experience anxiety than women who had not, even after controlling for other factors. Women who had experienced adult SV were more likely to feel down, depressed or hopeless than women who had not; however, this association disappeared after controlling for childhood sexual abuse. Conclusions: The findings support the association between SV and poor mental health, even when ‘lesser’ incidents have occurred. Implications for public health: General practitioners should consider an experience of SV as a possible factor in otherwise unexplained anxiety and depressive symptoms in female patients.

We conducted a collaborative action research project with stakeholders in Detroit, Michigan, to develop long-term policy strategies to resolve ~11,000 untested rape kits that were discovered in a police storage facility in August 2009. In our research, we uncovered overwhelming evidence of victim-blaming behaviors and fundamental disrespect of rape survivors by the police, which directly contributed to their decisions not to submit kits for forensic testing. We had an ethical responsibility to report these negative findings accurately and completely, and in doing so, we were concerned that police stakeholders might disengage from the action research project and hamper our other ethical responsibilities to promote general and public welfare. In this article, we examine the ethical challenges of balancing accountability, collaboration, and social change.

Background: Klinefelter’s Syndrome is a sex chromosome abnormality affecting approximately 1 in 1000 males. There have been suggestions that it is associated with a higher than average prevalence of sexual offending but to what extent does research evidence support this assertion? Aims: To conduct a systematic review of published research to establish the prevalence of sexual offending in males with Klinefelter’s Syndrome. Method: The databases MEDLINE, PsycINFO and EMBASE were searched from inception until 31st December 2016 using a range of terms for Klinefelter’s syndrome and for sexual offending. All selected papers were examined for quality using the STROBE (Strengthening of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) checklist. Results: We identified 53 relevant papers of which ten met our inclusion criteria. All but one were prevalence studies conducted in a prison or hospital setting. The one, Danish, register based cohort study did suggest an increased risk of sex offending among Klinefelter men, probably established before the diagnosis was made and, therefore, any hormone replacement instituted. Conclusion: There is insufficient evidence to date to support concerns about exceptional risk of sex offending among men with Klinefelter’s syndrome. Rather, it is arguable that there is a research gap in understanding how the experience of and treatment for their condition may affect them.

Sexual assault is a prevalent problem in higher education, and despite the increasing availability of formal supports on college campuses, few sexual assault survivors use them. Experiencing sexual assault can have devastating consequences on survivors' psychological and educational wellbeing, which may intensify if survivors do not receive adequate care. Drawing from existing theoretical frameworks and empirical research, this study used a mixed methodological approach to examine why survivors did not use three key campus supports-the Title IX Office, the sexual assault center, and housing staff-and if these reasons differed across the three supports. Using data from 284 women who experienced sexual assault in college, our qualitative findings identified four overarching themes, including logistical issues (e.g., lacking time and knowledge), feelings, beliefs, and responses that made it seem unacceptable to use campus supports, judgments about the appropriateness of the support, and alternative methods of coping. Quantitative findings revealed that survivors' reasons for not seeking help differed across supports. Collectively, our findings suggest that community norms and institutional policies can make it challenging for survivors to use campus supports. We propose several suggestions for institutional change (e.g., taking a stronger stance against "less serious" forms of sexual assault, reducing a quasi-criminal justice approach to investigation and adjudication, limiting mandated reporting).

Neurobehavioral models of pedophilia and child sexual offending suggest a pattern of temporal and in particular prefrontal disturbances leading to inappropriate behavioral control and subsequently an increased propensity to sexually offend against children. However, clear empirical evidence for such mechanisms is still missing. Using a go/nogo paradigm in combination with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) we compared behavioral performance and neural response patterns among three groups of men matched for age and IQ: pedophiles with (N = 40) and without (N = 37) a history of hands-on sexual offences against children as well as healthy non-offending controls (N = 40). As compared to offending pedophiles, non-offending pedophiles exhibited superior inhibitory control as reflected by significantly lower rate of commission errors. Group-by-condition interaction analysis also revealed inhibition-related activation in the left posterior cingulate and the left superior frontal cortex that distinguished between offending and non-offending pedophiles, while no significant differences were found between pedophiles and healthy controls. Both areas showing distinct activation pattern among pedophiles play a critical role in linking neural networks that relate to effective cognitive functioning. Data therefore suggest that heightened inhibition-related recruitment of these areas as well as decreased amount of commission errors is related to better inhibitory control in pedophiles who successfully avoid committing hands-on sexual offences against children. Hum Brain Mapp 38:1092-1104, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

We compared outcomes of arousal and preference assessments for five adult male alleged sexual offenders with intellectual disabilities. Arousal assessments involved the use of the penile plethysmograph to measure changes in penile circumference to both deviant (males and females under the age of 18) and nondeviant (males and females over the age of 18) video clips. Paired-stimulus preference assessments were arranged to present still images from the video clips used in the arousal assessments. Results showed correspondence between the assessments for four out of the five participants. Implications are discussed for the use of preference assessment methodology as a less intrusive assessment approach for sexual offender assessments.

This study examined the effectiveness of multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) for linking crimes. The data consisted of 720 incidents committed by 360 individual offenders of serial criminal sexual contact cases (i.e., rape and forced indecency). According to the measured similarity obtained from the Euclidean distance in the MCA configuration, a rank-score was assigned to each linked pair and unlinked pair. The validity of MCA for linking crimes was evaluated with a 10-fold cross-validation procedure and a receiver operating characteristic analysis. The t-test of rank scores showed a statistically significant difference between linked pairs and unlinked pairs (t(641.43) = −18.53, p

Trauma experienced in childhood and adolescence negatively affects the development of adaptive regulation of emotions and is associated with greater symptoms of anger. Prior research has suggested that high levels of anger may impede the outcome of treatment in adults with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The current study investigated whether high levels of anger resulted in poorer treatment outcomes in adolescent girls with PTSD. Participants included 61 female adolescent survivors of sexual abuse or assault who were randomized to either prolonged exposure for adolescents (PE-A) or client-centered therapy (CCT) for traumatized children for 8-14 weekly sessions. Participants were followed for 12 months posttreatment. High levels of state anger at baseline were associated with less improvement in PTSD symptoms in the CCT group than the PE-A group (d = 0.62). The moderating effects of state anger on improvement in PTSD symptoms was significant with emotion regulation difficulties, which may underlie anger symptoms (d = 0.58) in the model. The results of this study suggessted that high state anger was less of an impediment to treatment of PTSD for those receiving PE-A than those receiving less differentiated approaches such as CCT.

Studies report that between 6 per cent and 29 per cent of survivors of sexual violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are rejected by their families and communities. This research project was designed to provide insights into survivors' experiences of stigmatisation and rejection. Surveys were conducted with 310 women as they sought psychosocial services in eastern DRC. In total, 44.3 per cent of women reported suffering rejection after sexual violence. The majority of women felt that their status in the household (58.0 per cent) and community (54.9 per cent) diminished after rape. The odds of rejection were greater among women reporting ongoing displacement, pregnancy owing to sexual violence, worsening family relations, and diminished community status. This work highlights the extremely high levels of loss associated with the war in eastern DRC, particularly among survivors of sexual violence. The rejection of a survivor of rape has concrete and devastating psychosocial consequences.

Background Circles of support and accountability, or Circles, use community volunteers to help reintegrate sex offenders at risk of reoffending in the community. Aims The aims of this study are to describe the first 275 male sex offenders (‘core members’) in England and Wales supported by a Circle and to compare those attending the five largest Circles. Methods As part of their monitoring activity, 10 Circles extracted data from case files, anonymised it and submitted it to Circles UK, the national oversight body. Results Circles have expanded rapidly with 165 (60%) of Circles commencing in the three years 2011–2013 compared with 110 in the nine years 2002–2010. Most core members were referred from the Probation Service (82%). Circles were provided to men with a range of predicted risks of reoffending – from low (26%) to very high (12%). There were some positive changes between the beginning and end of Circles, such as fewer men being unemployed and more living in their own chosen accommodation. Conclusions/implications for practice Circles have been used to support the reintegration of a wide range of sex offenders. Given their rapid growth and flexibility, consistent recording standards are required across. These standards should be reviewed periodically to ensure all important fields of change are captured, including frequency of attendance, length per session and quality of engagement in the work.

INTRODUCTION: Sexual assault is a public health issue with many potential short- and long-term consequences for the victims. We aimed to investigate somatic health of women before and after sexual assault. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We included 2501 women who attended the Centre for Victims of Sexual Assault in Copenhagen, and 10004 women without a known assault experience (controls). Somatic diagnoses were retrieved from the National Health Registry and number of visits to general practitioners from the Danish Health Insurance Registry. Somatic data were assessed during the five-year period before and after the assault. RESULTS: The incidence of several somatic disorders was found to be significantly higher for the exposed women than for controls, both before and after the assault. Rate ratios of main disorders before and after the assault were respectively: disease of circulatory and respiratory system: 3.2 (2.6-4.1) and 2.6 (2.1-3.2); epilepsy: 2.9 (2.2-3.8) and 4.1 (3.0-5.6) and disease of the liver: 3.5 (1.9-6.3) and 7.0 (4.4-11.1), respectively. The rate ratios of laparoscopic surgery: 1.5 (0.9-2.5) and 3.4 (2.3-5.0) and of cervical cancer: 0.8 (0.4-1.7) and 2.0 (1.4-3.0) increased significantly after sexual assault. Likewise, the number of visits to a general practitioner was significantly higher in exposed women both before and after the assault (16 vs. 10/year). Complications associated with childbirth were not statistically different between the groups. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest a higher somatic morbidity in women seen at a sexual assault center before as well as after the assault compared with controls.© 2016 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Language: en

Currently there is a circuit split between the Second and Ninth Circuits in determining whether or not to apply previous juvenile sex offenses to the sentencing of an adult sex offender. The Second Circuit feels it is within the trial court's discretion to apply an enhancement of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines by applying either a juvenile adjudicated or unadjudicated sex offense to the sentencing of an adult offender. The Ninth Circuit sees that as improper and only adult sex offenses should be counted toward the sentencing of adult sex offenses. Due to the vague language of this enhancement, the determination of how to apply this is up to the court's discretion. This Note proposes that the U.S. Sentencing Commission amend section 4B1.5, and decide in favor of the Ninth Circuit due to the plain text reading of the statute, as well as the intent of the guideline itself alongside the “rule of lenity” as understood in the Ninth Circuit's reasoning of only applying adult offenses to the sentencing of that adult later on in life. The positive public policy of rehabilitation of juvenile offenders would be served greatly by this amendment to this guideline. By eliminating the possibility of having such an offense count against a juvenile in the future would allow and encourage those juveniles to take positive steps toward their future.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has a detrimental impact on the lives of women worldwide. Several studies have examined the effect IPV has on adverse birth outcomes when it occurs during pregnancy.To explore the association between IPV and selected adverse birth outcomes.Multiple databases were searched to identify studies investigating the association between IPV and low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth, and/or intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR).Included studies defined the perpetrator of violence as an intimate partner, the type of violence as physical and/or sexual, and the study outcomes as LBW, preterm birth, or IUGR, with violence preceding delivery.Random-effects meta-analysis was used to calculate adjusted/unadjusted odds ratios (ORs). Subanalyses explored the effect of emotional/psychological violence on birth outcomes.Nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria (15 LBW, 12 preterm birth, 4 IUGR). IPV was associated with LBW (OR 1.18, 95% confidence interval 1.05-1.31; I(2)=0.70, P0.001) and preterm birth (OR 1.42, 95% confidence interval 1.21-1.63; I(2)=0.20, P0.001). No statistically significant association was found for IUGR.There are associations between IPV and LBW and preterm birth that could be causal.

This study sought to examine predictors of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in eating disorder patients and to evaluate the moderating role of purging behaviours in the relationship between a theorised predictor (i.e. sexual/physical abuse) and NSSI. Participants in this study were 177 female patients with eating disorders (age range = 14-38 years) who completed semistructured interviews assessing eating disorder symptoms and eating disorder-related risk factors (e.g. history of sexual and physical abuse, history of NSSI and feelings of fatness). Results revealed that 65 participants (36.7%) reported lifetime engagement in NSSI, and 48 participants (27.1%) reported a history of sexual/physical abuse. Early onset of eating problems, lower BMI, feeling fat, a history of sexual/physical abuse and the presence of purging behaviours were all positively associated with the lifetime occurrence of NSSI. The relationship between sexual/physical abuse before eating disorder onset and lifetime NSSI was moderated by the presence of purging behaviours, such that the relationship was stronger in the absence of purging. These findings are consistent with the notion that purging and NSSI may serve similar functions in eating disorder patients (e.g. emotion regulation), such that the presence of purging may attenuate the strength of the association between sexual/physical abuse history (which is also associated with elevated NSSI risk) and engagement in NSSI behaviours.

Research examining victimization and posttraumatic symptomatology among Latinos is lacking in the extant literature. This analysis used the victimized subsample (N = 752) of the Sexual Assault Among Latinas Study. The aim was to evaluate victimization prevalence and test the following hypotheses: (a) that victimization would be associated with higher levels of posttraumatic symptoms, (b) that cultural factors that move away from traditional Latino culture would be associated with higher levels of posttraumatic symptomatology, and (c) that cultural factors associated with traditional Latino culture would be related to lower posttraumatic symptomatology. Average age of the sample was 44.57 years, with three fourths having a high school education or higher, and two thirds having a household income below $30,000. Of exposure types, adulthood threats were most likely to result in Criterion A traumatic events (23.4%). Using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) based PTSD Checklist, between 8.8% and 45.5% of individuals met presumed PTSD diagnosis based on various PCL cut scores or algorithm criteria. Regression analyses indicated that the combined different types of adult and childhood victimizations, masculine gender role, and negative religious coping were associated with increased symptoms (βs ranging from .16 to .27). The results suggested a role of culture in posttraumatic symptoms for Latinas.

Despite significant mental health needs among sexual assault (SA) victims in the military, little is known about treatment-seeking patterns or factors associated with service use. This study examined service use behavior, barriers, and facilitators of mental health treatment-seeking in an active duty sample of 927 U.S. Army soldiers with mental health problems. SA victims (n = 113) did not differ from non-victims on barriers or facilitators after adjusting for demographic and mental health variables, with stigma rated as the largest barrier. Most SA victims (87.6%) had sought informal support and 59.3% had sought formal treatment. One third of treatment-seekers had dropped out of treatment. Multivariate logistic regression analyses identified several correlates of treatment-seeking among SA victims: Black race (OR = 7.57), SA during the military (OR = 4.34), positive treatment beliefs (OR = 2.22), social support for treatment (OR = 2.14), self-reliance (OR = 0.47), and stigma towards treatment seekers (OR = 0.43). Mental health symptoms were not associated with treatment seeking. Findings suggested that treatment-facilitating interventions should focus on improving recognition of mental health symptoms, altering perceptions related to self-reliance, and reducing stigma. Interventions should also enlist support for treatment-seeking from unit members, leaders, and significant others.

Nearly 20% of South African youth experience forced or coerced sexual intercourse. Understanding the factors associated with forced sex is important for informing prevention programs aimed at reducing sexual violence and HIV and AIDS. Multilevel regression models test the association between sexual situation self-efficacy and forced sex among 2,893 South African adolescents. Findings suggest that youth are more likely to experience forced sex after periods of time when their levels of self-efficacy are lower than their average levels of self-efficacy. Furthermore, youth who are lower on their self-efficacy compared to their peers are more likely to experience forced sex. Implications for prevention research are discussed.

Military personnel can be exposed to a wide range of sexual trauma while deployed, including sexual harassment and sexual assault. We examined whether different types of sexual trauma during deployment associated with recent suicidal ideation among previously deployed OEF/OIF/OND veterans admitted to trauma-focused treatment (n = 199). More severe forms of sexual trauma (e.g., sexual assault) were significantly and positively associated with suicidal ideation. In contrast, sexual trauma involving verbal remarks (e.g., sexual harassment) was not associated with suicidal ideation. Our findings suggest that sexual harassment and sexual assault during deployment may be differentially associated with suicidal ideation.

Unwanted sexual contact within the military is an important public health concern, and is more prevalent among female as compared with male personnel. The Department of Defense (DOD) 2012 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members recently reported the overall prevalence of unwanted sexual contact within the past 12 months was 6.1% in women and 1.2% in men (Department of Defense, 2012). In a large 3-year cohort study of U.S. service members, 9.4% of women reported sexual harassment and 2.1% reported sexual assault (LeardMann et al., 2013). Among women veterans, the prevalence of military sexual trauma (MST), which includes sexual harassment and sexual assault, primarily ranges from 20%–43% (Suris & Lind, 2008). Unwanted sexual contact is an important health consideration among service women because it is highly prevalent, and has been associated with adverse mental health conditions (Boyd, Bradshaw, & Robinson, 2013; Dutra et al., 2011) and substance use (McCauley, Ruggiero, Resnick, & Kilpatrick, 2010; Resnick et al., 2012). In particular, MST has been associated with increased posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and suicidal behavior among women veterans (Decker, Rosenheck, Tsai, Hoff, & Harpaz-Rotem, 2013; Kimerling, Gima, Smith, Street, & Frayne, 2007; Maguen et al., 2012; O'Brien & Sher, 2013; Turchik & Wilson, 2010). One study conducted using Department of Veterans Affairs administrative data found that women veterans with MST were eight times more likely to be diagnosed with PTSD, and over twice as likely to be diagnosed with depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and attempted suicide or self-inflicted injury, as compared with those without MST (Kimerling et al., 2007). Some studies further indicate that among women veterans, sexual assault experienced during military service was more strongly linked to increased PTSD and depression symptoms than assault that occurs outside of military service (Himmelfarb, Yaeger, & Mintz, 2006; Suris, Lind, Kashner, & Borman, 2007). A potential rationale for this finding is that certain characteristics of the military environment, such as supervisors tolerating demeaning comments towards women, may intensify the association between sexual assault and adverse mental health (Sadler, Booth, Cook, & Doebbeling, 2003). In addition to being associated with adverse mental health, unwanted sexual contact has been linked to alcohol and substance use. Specifically, prior sexual assault can increase risk for substance use/abuse, and substance use/abuse can increase risk for sexual assault (Messman-Moore, Ward, & Zerubavel, 2013; Resnick, Walsh, Schumacher, Kilpatrick, & Acierno, 2013; Ullman, Relyea, Peter-Hagene, & Vasquez, 2013). Among the women who reported unwanted sexual contact in the 2012 DOD Workplace and Gender Relations Survey, 47% indicated that they or the offender were drinking alcohol before the incident (Department of Defense, 2012). Alcohol/substance use in the context of sexual assault is particularly concerning because it may lead to greater injury to the victim (when substances are being used by the offender; Brecklin & Ullman, 2010) and also a higher prevalence of substance use after the incident (Resnick et al., 2012), potentially as a coping mechanism by the victim (Ullman et al., 2013). One recently conducted qualitative study of U.S. service women deployed overseas indicated that being in a high-stress, sexist environment could facilitate unwanted sexual contact (Burns, Grindlay, Holt, Manski, & Grossman, 2014). In particular, women in the military may face additional gender-related stresses compared to men, such as elevated levels of stress due to sexual harassment (Vogt et al., 2011) and gender harassment (Kabat-Farr & Cortina, 2014), and greater levels of stress due to family separation and perceived loss of intimate relationships (Skopp et al., 2011). There is a lack of research, however, on the association between military and gender-related stress with unwanted sexual contact. Our objective was to examine the mental health and substance use factors that were associated with active duty service women’s experience of unwanted sexual contact since entering the military. We hypothesized that alcohol/substance use, military and gender-related stress, and adverse mental health indicators (including PTSD, suicidal ideation or attempt, psychological distress, depression, and anxiety), would be positively associated with self-report of unwanted sexual contact among active duty service women.

Desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) and easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry (EASI-MS) are employed here in the forensic analysis of chemical compounds found in condoms and relative traces, and their analytical performances are compared. Statistical analysis of data obtained from mass spectra only was applied in order to obtain classification rules for distinguishing ten types of condoms. In particular, two supervised chemometric techniques [linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA)] were carried out on absolute and relative intensity values to test the performances of statistical models in terms of predictive capacity. The achieved classification of samples was excellent because of the high prediction percentages of the method used both for DESI and EASI mass spectrometry analyses, confirming these two as potential ambient ionization techniques for forensic analyses in case of sexual assault crimes. EASI-MS showed 99% prediction ability for LDA using relative data and 100% prediction ability for SIMCA using both absolute and relative ones, while DESI showed 94% prediction ability for both LDA and SIMCA. The absence of any sample preparation technique gives advantages in terms of sample preservation and reduced contamination, allowing successive analyses to be performed on the same sample by other techniques.

After deliberating to a verdict, jurors (N = 462) from 40 sexually violent predator (SVP) trials completed a questionnaire asking them to rate the extent to which risk measure scores, diagnoses, expert witness testimony, and offender characteristics described during the trials influenced their commitment decisions. Jurors reported that offenders' sexual offending history, failure to change, and lack of remorse had the strongest influence on their commitment decisions. They reported that testimony about risk instrument scores (e.g., Static-99) and psychopathy had less influence on their decisions, but those who did report being influenced by instrument results were especially likely to view the offender as being at a high risk for reoffending. Overall, findings suggest that SVP jurors view risk measure results as important, but not as important as other offender, offense, and testimony characteristics, including some that have limited relevance to recidivism risk. Thus, findings also suggest that experts may need to better educate jurors regarding factors that do and do not relate to recidivism risk. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Language: en

Although verbally coerced and incapacitated sexual assaults are common, less is known about perpetrators of these incidents in comparison to perpetrators of forcible assaults. Furthermore, few studies have investigated factors that differentiate perpetrators who employ different forms of sexual assault tactics. The current study included 526 men who completed self-report inventories at the end of each of their four years in college. Measures assessed sexual assault tactics, demographics, incident characteristics, risky behavior, rape supportive beliefs and peer norms, antisocial traits, and childhood adversity. Perpetrators were grouped based on the most severe tactics reported over the course of 7 assessed time periods, with 13% in the verbal coercion group, 16% in the incapacitation group, and 5% in the forcible group. ANOVAs determined that the forcible group scored significantly higher than incapacitation and verbal coercion groups on risky behavior, rape supportive beliefs/norms, antisocial traits, and childhood adversity. The incapacitation group scored higher than the verbal coercion group on risky behavior. In a multinomial logistic regression analysis comparing tactic groups to non-perpetrators, all tactic groups scored significantly higher on risky behavior and rape supportive beliefs/norms, and the forcible group scored higher on antisocial traits and childhood adversity. Perpetrators in the forcible group had engaged in more repeat offenses, and perpetrators of both the incapacitated and forcible assaults were more likely to use alcohol before the incident. Findings highlight the need for interventions that are tailored to offense trajectories, alter rape supportive attitudes and peer norms, and decrease campus substance use. Aggr. Behav. 41:34-43 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Purpose Continued debate surrounds whether or not offender profiling is a valid practice. Critics have mainly contended that few studies have produced clear, quantifiable, evidence of a link between crime scene actions (A) and offender characteristics (C). Arguing that this is due to a failure to study offender actions as part of a dynamic decision-making process, this study sought to identify action phases that are representative of the general decisions an offender must make during the commission of a sexual offence, and relate these decisions to known characteristics of the offender (C). Methods Two-step cluster analyses were performed on data from 347 stranger sexual offences, committed by 69 serial sexual offenders, by action phase: (1) search; (2) selection; (3) approach; (4) assault; and also for an offender's (5) characteristics. Multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) was then utilized to investigate the inter-relationship of action phase clusters and offender characteristics. Results The MCA results indicated that specific behavioural macro-clusters formed across the various actions phase and offender characteristic clusters in a meaningful way. Additionally, the macro-clusters themselves corresponded to the extant literature on sexual assault, revealing several points of congruence between offender crime scene actions and offender characteristics. Conclusion The results of the study demonstrate that when crime scene behaviours are interpreted within a dynamic decision-making process (i.e., utilizing action phases), reliable and valid empirical links may potentially be drawn between an offenders behavioural actions and their characteristics.

Sex offender laws that target recidivism (e.g., community notification and residency restriction regimes) are premised—at least in part—on the idea that sex offender proximity and victimization risk are positively correlated. We examine this relationship by combining past and current address information of registered sex offenders (RSOs) with crime data from Baltimore County, Maryland, to study how crime rates vary across neighborhoods with different concentrations of resident RSOs. Contrary to the assumptions of policymakers and the public, we find that, all else equal, reported sex offense victimization risk is generally (although not uniformly) lower in neighborhoods where more RSOs live. To further probe the relationship between where RSOs live and where sex crime occurs, we consider whether public knowledge of the identity and proximity of RSOs may make offending in those areas more difficult for (or less attractive to) all potential sex offenders. We exploit the fact that Maryland's registry became searchable via the Internet during our sample period to investigate how laws that publicly identify RSOs may change the relationship between the residential concentration of RSOs and neighborhood victimization risk. Surprisingly, for some categories of sex crime, notification appears to increase the relative risk of victimization in neighborhoods with greater concentrations of RSOs.

Aim This study investigated the relationship between sexual debut before 14 years of age and socio-demographics, sexual experience, health, experience of child abuse and behaviour at 18 years of age. Methods A sample of 3432 Swedish high school seniors completed a survey about sexuality, health and abuse at the age of 18. Results Early debut was positively correlated with risky behaviours, such as the number of partners, experience of oral and anal sex, health behaviours, such as smoking, drug and alcohol use, and antisocial behaviour, such as being violent, lying, stealing and running away from home. Girls with an early sexual debut had significantly more experience of sexual abuse. Boys with an early sexual debut were more likely to have a weak sense of coherence, low self-esteem and poor mental health, together with experience of sexual abuse, selling sex and physical abuse. A multiple logistic regression model showed that a number of antisocial acts and health behaviours remained significant, but early sexual debut did not increase the risk of psychiatric symptoms, low self-esteem or low sense of coherence at 18 years of age. Conclusion Early sexual debut was associated with problematic behaviours during later adolescence, and this vulnerability requires attention from parents and healthcare providers.

Although knowledge about posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has grown over the past 40 years, PTSD policy research is undeveloped. This gap in knowledge warrants attention because policy is among the most powerful tools to prevent and mitigate the effects of PTSD. This study provides a content analysis of all bills introduced in U.S. Congress that explicitly mentioned PTSD. All bills and bill sections mentioning PTSD were coded to create a legislative dataset. Bills that addressed traumatic stress, but did not mention PTSD, were also identified as a comparison group. One hundred sixty-one PTSD explicit bills containing 382 sections of legislative text were identified, as were 43 traumatic stress, non-PTSD bills containing 55 sections (the 2 categories were mutually exclusive). Compared to traumatic stress, non-PTSD sections, PTSD explicit sections were far more likely to target military populations (23.6% vs. 91.4%) and combat exposures (14.5% vs. 91.4%). PTSD, as a discrete diagnostic entity, has been largely defined as a problem unique to combat exposure and military populations in federal legislation. Research is needed to understand knowledge and perceptions of PTSD among policy makers and the public to inform science-based advocacy strategies that translate the full spectrum of PTSD research into policy.

BACKGROUND: Information on psychopathological characteristics of sexual homicide offenders is scarce. AIMS: To investigate criminal, paraphilic and personality trait differences between serial and single-victim sexual homicide offenders. METHODS: All 73 single-victim and 13 serial sexual homicide offenders presenting within a cohort of 671 men sentenced for sexual crimes between 1994 and 2005 and serving their sentence in one high-security Canadian prison and who consented to interview were assessed and compared on their offending patterns, personality pathology and paraphilic behaviours. RESULTS: Serial sexual homicide offenders were more likely than the single offenders to report deviant sexual fantasies, having selected victims with distinctive characteristics, to have targeted strangers, structured premeditation and/or verbal humiliation of their victims during the offences. Personality pathology, defined by at least two Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV criteria for personality disorder, was common in both groups, but the serial offenders were more likely to have narcissistic, schizoid and/or obsessive-compulsive traits; they were also more likely to engage in sexual masochism, partialism, homosexual paedophilia, exhibitionism and/or voyeurism. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Samples of serial sexual homicide offenders will, fortunately, always be small, and it may be that more could be learned to assist in preventing such crimes if data from several studies or centres were pooled. Our findings suggest that an investigation of sexual homicide offenders should include strategies for evaluating premeditation as well as personality and paraphilic characteristics. Crime scene features that should alert investigators should include similar characteristics between victims and particular aspects of body exposure or organisation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Language: en

Controversy remains about whether sex offenders can be treated effectively, as shown by recent exchanges in this journal (Hickey, 2012; Ho and Ross, 2012; Mann et al., 2012) and elsewhere (Rice and Harris, 2003; Marshall and Marshall, 2007; Seto et al., 2008; Rice and Harris, 2013). The main areas of disagreement are on quality of evidence and its interpretation. The gold standard for evidence is considered to be the randomised controlled trial (RCT). Having recently completed Cochrane Reviews into psychological and pharmacological interventions for sex offenders (Dennis et al., 2012; Khan et al., 2014), confined to RCTs, we propose to examine the place of such ‘gold standard evidence’ in determining the role of treatment of sex offenders.

Previous research that has evaluated the ability of sex offenders with intellectual disabilities (ID) to suppress sexual arousal has produced mixed results. The current study had 2 purposes: (a) to replicate prior research on arousal suppression by sex offenders with ID and (b) to evaluate whether it is possible for offenders with ID to maintain arousal to nondeviant stimuli while suppressing arousal to deviant stimuli. Both participants were successful in suppressing arousal to deviant stimuli, and 1 participant was successful in maintaining arousal to nondeviant stimuli while suppressing arousal to deviant stimuli.

The multiple-family group intervention is an effective, yet affordable, 8-week treatment that is conducted in a juvenile correctional institution in Alabama with adolescents who sexually offend and their families. Data from 115 incarcerated male adolescents and their male and female caregivers collected at pre-, post-, and 1-year follow-up were used to determine that problem behaviors (internalizing, externalizing) decreased over pre- and posttest and the significant decreases in maladaptive emotion regulation predicted those changes. Adolescent-reported anxiety over abandonment and attachment dependence on parents increased significantly; these changes were predicted by decreases in maladaptive emotion regulation. Linear growth models were also fit over the 3 time points and indicate decreases in adolescent problem behavior and maladaptive emotion regulation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This prospective study uses path analytic models to examine baseline characteristics associated with both functioning and drinking outcomes 12 months after inpatient alcohol treatment. METHODS: Alcohol-dependent participants (N = 101) were recruited during inpatient alcohol treatment and assessed monthly 1 year after discharge. RESULTS: Alcohol severity was negatively associated with education and self-efficacy; marital status was positively associated with self-efficacy; and education and self-efficacy were negatively associated with drinking outcomes. Low alcohol severity, not having a depression diagnosis, and being married were associated with less social support impairment, which was in turn associated with better drinking outcomes. Having a history of sexual abuse did not influence drinking outcomes. However, having a history of sexual abuse was negatively associated with global functioning. CONCLUSIONS AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Drinking outcomes were associated with education, self-efficacy, social support, and diagnosis of depression at baseline; however, global functioning 1 year following treatment was primarily and negatively associated with sexual abuse history. Future treatment research should include measures of both functioning and drinking behavior outcomes. (Am J Addict 2014;23:226-233). Language: en

One of the most controversial—and least understood—issues in the area of sexual violence is the prevalence of false reports of rape. Estimates of the rate of false reports vary widely, which reflects differences in way false reports are defined and in the methods that researchers use to identify them. We address this issue using a mixed methods approach that incorporates quantitative and qualitative data on sexual assault cases that were reported to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in 2008 and qualitative data from interviews with LAPD detectives assigned to investigate reports of sexual assault. We found that the LAPD was clearing cases as unfounded appropriately most, but not all, of the time and we estimated that the rate of false reports among cases reported to the LAPD was 4.5 percent. We also found that although complainant recantation was the strongest predictor of the unfounding decision, other factors indicative of the seriousness of the incident and the credibility of the victim also played a role. We interpret these findings using an integrated theoretical perspective that incorporates both Black's sociological theory of law and Steffensmeier, Ulmer, and Kramer's focal concerns perspective.

Refugee women may experience multiple forms of victimization. The hypotheses underlying the present analyses were that experiences of victimization during conflict and intimate partner violence (IPV) would be associated with heightened odds of suicide ideation among refugee women living in 3 camps along the Thai-Burma border. Descriptive statistics were generated to describe the prevalence of conflict victimization, past-year IPV victimization, past-month suicide ideation, and covariates among partnered women with complete data (N = 848) from a cross-sectional survey conducted in early 2008. Logistic generalized estimating equations were used to assess the crude and adjusted relationships between variables. The mean age of women was 32.12 years, 91.0% were married, and 78.8% were of Karen ethnicity. Overall, 7.4% of women reported past-month suicide ideation. Of those women who did not experience any victimization or conflict victimization only, 5.1% and 5.2% reported suicide ideation, respectively. By contrast 26.7% of women who experienced only IPV victimization reported suicide ideation, and 50.0% of women who experienced both forms of victimization reported suicide ideation. Understanding each form of violence victimization and their relationships to suicide ideation may be important for targeting psychosocial services and violence prevention programs within protracted refugee settings.

Sexual sadism and psychopathy have been theoretically, clinically, and empirically linked to violence. Although both constructs are linked to predatory violence, few studies have sought to explore the covariation of the two constructs, and even fewer have sought to conceptualize the similarities of violence prediction in each. The current study considered all four Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) facets and employed well-defined, validated measures of sadism to elucidate the relation between sadism and psychopathy, as well as to determine the role of each in the prediction of non-sexual violence and sexual crime behaviors. Study 1 assessed 314 adult, male sex offenders using archival ratings, as well as the self-report Multidimensional Inventory of Development, Sex, and Aggression (the MIDSA). Study 2 used archival ratings to assess 599 adult, male sex offenders. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of crime scene descriptions yielded four sexual crime behavior factors: Violence, Physical Control, Sexual Behavior, and Paraphilic. Sadism and psychopathy covaried, but were not coextensive; sadism correlated with Total PCL-R, Facet 1, and Facet 4 scores. The constructs predicted all non-sexual violence measures, but predicted different sexual crime behavior factors. The PCL-R facets collectively predicted the Violence and Paraphilic factors, whereas sadism only predicted the Violence factor.

Drug facilitated crimes (DFCs) can be defined as criminal acts carried out by means of administering a substance to a person with the intention of impairing behaviour, perceptions, or decision-making capacity. It also extends to taking advantage of an impaired person after voluntary intake of an incapacitating substance. Crimes include robbery, money extortion, and maltreatment of the elderly, children, or mentally ill patients. Rape or other types of sexual assault are referred to as drug facilitated sexual assault (DFSA). In DFSA cases, the victim is subjected to a sexual act without legal consent as a result of the pharmacological effects of alcohol and/or drug(s). A large number of psychoactive substances have the potential to alter the victim’s state of mind, alcohol being the number one candidate because of its widespread use. Illicit drugs, psychoactive prescription drugs and even over-the-counter medicines are also likely candidates, either consumed alone or in combination with alcohol. The resulting pharmacological effects may include relaxation, euphoria, and lack of inhibition on the one hand and drowsiness, loss of motor function, unconsciousness, and amnesia on the other hand. Information on the frequency of DFC cases is scarce but there has been a significant increase in reports worldwide. However, several factors complicate the registration of the actual number of DFSA cases. Governmental statistics show a general underreporting of sexual assault crimes. The impact that central nervous system depressant drugs have on memory and consciousness might lead to a situation where the victim is not able to remember what has actually happened and chooses not to report the incident. If the incident is reported, police officers often assume that the victim was simply drunk rather than drugged. If an investigation is initiated, the delay between the collection of biological evidence and the alleged assault can be between several hours and more than a day. This case report describes a DFSA case in a medical setting: a gynaecologist was suspected of assaulting a young patient after drug administration. In the presented case, the time delay between the alleged assault and the sampling was 30 h. Evidence collection via a standardized sampling kit and the choice of sample in such cases is discussed. The analytical strategy is described with regard to the choice of methods, uncertainty measurement, and limitations of the methods which are important during interpretation of the analytical results. Finally, interpretation of this specific case, but also interpretation issues of DFSA cases in general, is discussed.

As a sociologist studying the intersection of crime, punishment, and politics, it is often surprising to me how many aspects of political sociology and the study of crime and punishment overlap, and yet, there is often limited cross-fertilization of the two fields. For the sake of brevity in this discussion, I refer to those who study crime, deviance, law, criminal justice, and punishment as criminologists. My goal is to provide an extremely brief “primer” on criminology for political sociologists, in the hopes that a short reading of some issues and research in criminology may stimulate additional theorizing and research, as has so often happened when I have read political sociological work. To do this, I begin with a brief discussion of overlaps in political sociological and criminological perspectives. Following this, I highlight some examples of criminological research which incorporates politics, and would likely interest political sociologists, Then, I highlight a hot button issue in criminology – sex offenses – and suggest some ways that political sociologists could examine recent legislation on sex offenders and conclude with brief discussions of a few additional areas of overlap for the two disciplines.