Sexual Aggression to Sexual Homicide: Are Cognitive Scripts Responsible for the Escalation?

• In Event: A Typological Approach to Sexual Homicide: Criminal Opportunities, Escalation, and Persistence

Abstract

The idea that offenders escalate from sexual aggression (SA) to sexual homicide (SH) has influenced criminal justice policymaking, but still eludes researchers. The purpose of this study is to examine the cognitive scripts of individuals who escalate from SA to SH. The study is based on a sample of 553 individuals who were consecutively admitted to a Canadian Federal penitentiary for a SA and 60 perpetrators of SH. All offenders were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The weighted sample was weighted to reflect the statistically low risk of SH perpetration. Latent class analyses were performed to identify cognitive scripts and discriminate individuals who have perpetrated a: 1) violent SA; 2) non-violent SA, and; 3) SH. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify individuals at risk of perpetrating a SH. Case-studies showing a high-risk of escalation to SH will be presented. The findings highlight the challenges of identifying offenders at risk of perpetrating a SH. The weighing of cases significantly alters the identification of individuals having perpetrated a SH, therefore challenging prior studies results. The study also questions sex offender laws and policies based on the assumption that escalation from SA to SH is the rule rather than the exception.

Authors

• Victoria Rousseau, Université Laval

• Patrick Lussier, Université Laval

• Nadine Deslauriers-Varin, Université Laval