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Pathways in the Offending Process of Extrafamilial Sexual Child Molesters

NCJ Number
177890
Journal
Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment Volume: 11 Issue: 2 Dated: April 1999 Pages: 117-129
Author(s)
Jean Proulx; Christine Perreault; Marc Quimet
Date Published
1999
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The aim of the current study was to investigate specific pathways in the offending process of extrafamilial child sexual molesters.
Abstract
Forty-four men who had committed at least one sexual offense against a nonfamilial prepubescent child were included in this study and were classified by the use of cluster analysis. Subjects who used the coercive pathway (n=30) had generally used psychoactive substances before their offenses. Furthermore, they had molested a female victim without perceived vulnerability and whom they had known well. These molesters had not planned their offense, which was of short duration (less than 15 minutes), and involved coital activities and coercion (verbal and/or physical). Subjects who used the noncoercive pathway (n=14) had generally used pornography and deviant sexual fantasies before their offenses. Moreover, they had molested a male victim, in whom they perceived a psychosocial vulnerability and who was not familiar to them. These molesters had planned their offense, which was of longer duration (more than 15 minutes) and involved noncoital activities without coercion. These two pathways were compared to the two pathways in the offending process identified by Ward and his colleagues. 6 tables and 30 references