Citation

Comartin EB, Burgess-Proctor A, Kubiak S, Bender KA, Kernsmith P. J. Interpers. Violence 2018; ePub(ePub): 886260518772110.

Affiliation

Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0886260518772110

PMID

29730965

Abstract

This study identifies the characteristics that distinguish between women's and men's sexual offending. We compare women and men currently incarcerated for a sex offense in one state using two data sources: administrative data on sex offenders in the state prison ( N = 9,235) and subsample surveys ( n = 129). Bivariate and logistic regressions were used in these analyses. Women account for a small proportion (1.1%, N = 98) of incarcerated sex offenders. In the population, women and men were convicted of similar types of sex offenses. The subsample was demographically similar to the population. In the subsample, women were more likely than men to have a child victim, be the parent/guardian of the victim, have a co-offender, and repeatedly perpetrate against the same victim.

FINDINGS suggest that women convicted and sentenced for a sex offense differ from their male counterparts, with predictive factors being dependent upon the age of their victim(s). Sex offender treatment interventions developed for men are poorly suited to and may have limited efficacy for women.

Language: en

Keywords

child abuse; female offenders; sexual abuse; sexual assault