An Examination of the “Bedroom Rapist”

• In Event: Posters II

Abstract

A rapist who breaks into a victim’s residence to commit a sexual offense at the same location has been labeled by some as the “bedroom rapist” or a sexual burglar. This specific type of sex offender has been understudied, researchers often assuming that this type of sexual crime was completely opportunistic. The current study tests whether this type of sex offender is really opportunistic by examining modus operandi features that could distinguish the sex offenders who break and enter into a victim’s residence from those who do not. Considering the correlated nature of serial sexual assaults, the study uses Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) on a sample of 347 sexual assaults committed by 69 serial sex offenders. Findings indicate that a number of modus operandi strategies are significant predictors of those who chose a victim’s residence as their attack location, for instance the bedroom rapists were more likely to use coercive methods, a non-random victim selection method, and minimal force compared to offenders who chose other offense locations. The implications of the results are discussed in relation to research and practice and are particularly relevant to situational crime prevention.

Authors

• Katherine Ensslen, Simon Fraser University

• Eric Beauregard, Simon Fraser University