NCJ Number
221305
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 52 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2008 Pages: 62-80
Date Published
February 2008
Length
19 pages
Annotation
The article evaluates the role of drug consumption among sexual offenders against females in Brazil.
Abstract
Sexual offenders against women were found to have significantly more difficulties with drug use, have higher impulsivity levels, and to be younger than the sexual offenders against girls and pubertal females. The combination of drug consumption and a higher level of impulsivity might have contributed to the sexual aggression against adult females. Sexual offenders against women have significantly more problems with drug use when compared with child molesters; substance use may be one of the factors that set apart those offenders who target children or teens from those who target adults. Sexual offenders who use drugs more commonly victimize strangers than do other sexual aggressors; sexual aggressors against women offended more nonrelated victims than sexual offenders against girls or against pubertal females. The differences between sexual offenders against children and against adults in relation to substance use can be useful in designing prevention strategies, and /or initially assess which types of offenders are more likely to need substance abuse treatment. Actuarial procedures for assessment of sexual offender recidivism risk have proven to be moderately successful in identifying offenders that relapse from those who do not, and appears to be the most accurate procedure currently available. However, evidence points to the need to improve assessment for and treatment of substance-abuse and related issues among incarcerated sexual offenders. Development and implementation of treatment programs that address these issues associated with other types of management, and further consideration of the role that alcohol and drugs play in sexual violence, are necessary steps to improve response to sex offenders, and thereby reduce the incidence of victimization. The sample consisted of 218 male convicts, over 18 years old, sentenced only for sexual crimes, recruited and interviewed in the penitentiary of Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil. Tables, references