Risk Factors Associated With Recidivism Among Extrafamilial Child Molesters

• NCJ Number: 171958
• Author(s): R A Prentky; R A Knight; A F S Lee
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 46 pages
• Grant Number(s): 94-IJ-CX-0031
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

This study assessed reoffense risk among extrafamilial child molesters using follow-up data on 111 child molesters discharged from the Massachusetts Treatment Center between 1960 and 1984.

Abstract

Data were obtained from prison and criminal records of offenders. Risk assessment variables included amount of contact with children, degree of sexual preoccupation with children, impulsivity, juvenile and adult antisocial behavior, frequency of prior sexual offenses, paraphilias, alcohol use history, social competence, and victim gender. Offenders were classified into one of two groups, recidivist or non-recidivist, based on whether they had been charged with a new offense during the follow-up period. Results showed degree of sexual preoccupation with children, paraphilias, and number of prior sexual offenses predicted sexual recidivism. Juvenile and adult antisocial behavior, paraphilias, and low amount of contact with children predicted nonsexual victim-involved and violent recidivism. Data suggested the composite of 10 variables associated with reoffense risk among child molesters had reasonable predictive accuracy in sexual and nonsexual offense domains. 46 references, 8 tables, and 1 figure