Sexual Offending, Risk, Sexual Recidivism and the Life Course Outcomes

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract/Description

Individuals with histories of sexual offending are considered a high-risk group from a public safety standpoint. Such perceptions significantly contributed to shaping criminal justice policies focused on the prevention of sexual offenses, especially in the US. The development of such policies shifted focus away from understanding and explaining phenomenon such as sexual recidivism and desistance from sexual offending. This panel brings together three empirical studies based on Canadian and American data to examine risk, sexual recidivism and life course outcome-related issues. In addition, presenters will offer an overview of these issues across life periods such as adolescence, early adulthood, and later adulthood. The three studies based on prospective longitudinal data explore recidivism trends over an 80-year period, the role and importance of desistance-related factors, as well as potential barriers to the desistance process such as stigmatization resulting from the label of “sex offender”. Findings highlight major implications in terms of rethinking the legal response toward sexual offending. The implications include the development of evidence-guided responses anchored in empirical observations about individual profiles and their long-term risk.

Sub Unit

• Area III. Types of Offending / 14. Rape and Sexual Assault

Individual Presentations

• Are Long-Term Sex Offender Recidivism Rates Dropping? A Meta-Analysis of 468 Studies Including 388,994 Individuals - Patrick Lussier, Université Laval; Elisabeth St-Pierre, Université Laval; Arthur-Lou Baguet, Université Laval

• Sexual Offending and Desistance from Crime: The Role of Life Course Contextual Dynamic Factors - Arthur-Lou Baguet, Université Laval; Patrick Lussier, Université Laval

• The Social Context of Adolescents Who Have Perpetrated a Sex Offense: A Prospective Investigation from Adolescence to Early Adulthood - Stephanie Chouinard Thivierge, Université Laval; Patrick Lussier, Université Laval

Chair

• Elisabeth St-Pierre, Université Laval