Spatial Patterns of Sexual Aggression in Spain: Locations of Offenders’ and Victims’ Residences, Journey to Crime and Virtual Evaluations of Crime Scenes

• In Event: Roundtable: Male Stranger Rapists--Profiles and Spatial Patterns of Sexual Aggression in Spain

Abstract

Environmental Criminology offers us theoretical proposals for understanding how offenders choose their crime scenes, how both offenders and victims move across the city and how design, use and maintenance of public urban spaces can provide opportunities for committing certain crimes, or can help reducing crime rates and preventing victimization by reducing those opportunities. But from the empirical point of view, evidence about certain aspects related to the mobility of both offenders and victims and about the characteristics of crime scenes –specifically, for concrete crime types- is still reduced.
Using data from the biggest study about sexual aggression by offenders non related to victims carried out in Spain, we offer the results related to the spatial and temporal patterns of these crimes. Distances across the offender’s residence, the victim’s residence and the crime scene were studied in relation to a typology of offenders and certain characteristics of the crime event. Also, a virtual characterization of the crime scenes was carried out using a template that was been adapted from a previous research on the nature of rape places (Ceccato, 2014). Results will be discussed in relation to their usefulness for improving the investigation of such crimes by the police.

Authors

• Laura Vozmediano Sanz, Universidad del Pais Vasco

• Nerea Martin Fernandez, Universidad del Pais Vasco

• Cesar San Juan Guillen, Universidad del Pais Vascoe