What Causes Sex Offending? Views from Community Corrections Professionals and the General Public

• In Event: Risks of Sexual Violence

Abstract

Sex offenders are one of the most feared groups of offenders and with this fear comes a desire to understand the causes of their behavior. Several ideas, including mental illness and past sexual abuse, exist about what motivates sex offenders. Utilizing a sample of community corrections professionals (n=209) and the general public (n=250), the present study examines beliefs toward potential causes of sex offending while also examining whether the beliefs of these two groups significantly differ from one another. Additionally, the influence of various demographic characteristics on belief in the cause of sex offending are also examined. Policy implications are discussed.

Author

• Corey Call, West Liberty University