The Origins of Negative Views of Sex Offenders

• In Event: Advances in Sex Offender Policy Research: Politics and Public Perceptions

Abstract

Few offenders invoke greater public revulsion and distrust than those who have committed sex crimes. Even so, studies identifying the origins of such perceptions are noticeably absent. This study addresses this research gap by developing and testing a theoretical account of negative public judgments toward sex offenders. Using data from a recent national survey, the analyses examine the extent to which popular typifications about sexual victims and offenders—perceiving that sex crime typically affects children and female victims and is committed by strangers—explain prominent societal beliefs about the reformability of sex offenders, harm inflicted on sex victims, and the causes of sex crime. Findings indicate that endorsing the child victim typification is a consistent predictor of adverse public views. The implications of the study are discussed.

Authors

• Christina Mancini, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Justin T. Pickett, University at Albany, SUNY