NCJ Number
217314
Date Published
July 2006
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Because of the variety of circumstances linked to police reports that are labeled as "abductions" or "kidnappings" in New South Wales (Australia), this study describes the characteristics of the 238 "abduction/kidnapping" incidents recorded by New South Wales (NSW) Police between January and June 2004.
Abstract
The study found that only 57 percent of the 238 victims were actually abducted. Thirty-two percent of the victims experienced an attempted abduction, and the experiences of 4 percent of the victims were not consistent with the legal definition of "abduction." For 7 percent of the victims, either no abduction occurred, or a false report was given to police. Less than half (43 percent) of the offenders were strangers to the victims. The dominant motives for actual abductions were sexual desire (35 percent), robbery (29 percent), and retribution (24 percent). The study concludes that there is no typical abduction offense, and the diversity of such incidents should be considered when interpreting statistics for this offense. The analysis of the cases focused on the features of the offenses recorded by the police, the motivation of offenders, the age and gender of victims, the victim-offender relationship, and the victim's experience of physical and sexual violence. 3 tables and 9 figures