Organized Offenders, High-Risk Offending: Factors Influencing the Risk of Detection in Sexual Homicide

• In Event: Poster Session 2

Abstract

While prior research has established that some sexual homicide offenders (SHOs) take steps to mitigate the risk of being caught, this study examines the risk profiles of these offenders based on their likelihood of being detected throughout the crime. By analyzing 350 cases of sexual homicide (SH) in Canada from 1948 to 2010, this research uses the organized/disorganized framework of SH to test the assumption that organized SHOs are low-risk takers. The findings indicate that many traits traditionally associated with organized SH are related to high-risk offending. Moreover, results from the sequential logistic regression reveal that the offender’s use of alcohol, targeting the victim, and the offender leaving biological evidence at the scene are consistent predictors of the offender engaging in high-risk offending. Ultimately, the decision-making process of organized SHOs in relation to risky offending appears to depend on the level of control held over the crime and the risk they are willing to take to complete the crime as envisioned. This study highlights the usefulness of classifying offenders as low- or high-risk based on the likelihood of detection during the crime, the validity of assumptions under the organized/disorganized typology, and implications for investigative strategies.

Authors

• August Trent Skrudland, Simon Fraser University

• Éric Beauregard, Simon Fraser University