The Impact of Sexual Orientation on Criminal Behavior: Empirical Support and Explanatory Mechanisms

• In Event: Gender, Race, Ethnicity, Sexuality, and Offending

Abstract

Sexual orientation and its relationship to criminal offending have long been studied in ways that are indirect and narrow in scope. This stems from two factors, 1) the current, major data sets widely used for criminological research have no, or limited, measures of sexual orientation and 2) there are no clearly defined theoretical frameworks to inform empirical research designs. This paper will first assess the current empirical support for any relationships between sexual orientation and criminal offending. It will then go on to outline theoretical mechanisms, from other scientific fields, that explain the relationship between homosexuality and behavior. These mechanisms are then examined through the lens of homosexuality’s impact on criminal behaviors. This examination and refinement will provide frameworks for future quantitative research on the relationship between sexuality and criminal behavior.

Author

• Wesley M. Myers, Florida State University