Benoit Leclerc

Script Analysis of the Hunting Process of Serial Sex Offenders

This study identified hunting process scripts in a sample of 361 serial sex crimes committed by 72 serial sex offenders, using multiple correspondence analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. Three hunting process scripts that take into account both behavioral and geographic aspects of crime were identified. These three scripts included different tracks of the hunting process. The coercive script includes the home-intrusion rape track and the outdoor rape track. The manipulative script includes the sophisticated rape track and the family-infiltrator rape track. The nonpersuasive script includes only the direct action rape track. The theoretical relevance of these three scripts and their practical implications for crime prevention strategies and geographic profiling are discussed.

Getting into the Script of Adult Child Sex Offenders and Mapping out Situational Prevention Measures

The current study describes and examines the crime-commission process followed in child sex offending. There are two major aims in this study. The first aim is to propose a script model in child sex offending. The second aim is to show the relevance of completing crime scripts to identify situational crime prevention measures. One of the weaknesses in the current crime script literature is the absence of proposed prevention measures. Besides Cornish, only Clarke and Newman have used crime scripts for its main purpose, which is to offer a way to develop situational crime prevention techniques. In this study, situational prevention measures are mapped onto the crime-commission process in child sex offending.

Developmental Pathways of Deviance in Sexual Aggressors

The study investigated the behavioral antecedents of deviance in sexual aggressors and how they relate to sexual offending. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 553 convicted sexual aggressors to gather data on developmental history. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the behavioral antecedents. Results indicated the presence of three broad dimensions of deviance: internalization, externalization, and sexualization. Aggressors against children showed higher levels of internalization, whereas aggressors against adults reported higher levels of externalization. It is the dimension of sexualization and externalization, however, that appeared the most valuable in the understanding of sexual offending.

Modus Operandi of Sexual Offenders Working or Doing Voluntary Work with Children and Adolescents.

Abstract The aim of this study was to provide the first empirical description of the modus operandi of sexual offenders working or doing voluntary work with children and adolescents across all aspects of offender–victim interactions. The modus operandi was studied along the offence continuum, which included strategies used for gaining the victims trust, getting the victim to participate in sexual activity and keeping the victim from telling someone about the sexual contact. Twenty-three offenders agreed to participate in this study. They were recruited from prisons, probation and parole services, penitentiaries and treatment programs. Three sources of information were used. The most important source was the Modus Operandi Questionnaire (MOQ) developed by Kaufman. Data were also obtained from semi-structured interviews conducted with the offenders and from official sources, such as police reports and victim statements. Our results suggest that the modus operandi of these sexual offenders depended on their position of trust in relation to their victim. In fact, they used non-coercive strategies to achieve victim compliance. Implications for prevention strategies are also highlighted.

Decision Making in the Crime Commission Process: Comparing Rapists, Child Molesters, and Victim-Crossover Sex Offenders

Based on a rational choice approach, this study compares the decision making involved in the crime commission process of rapists (n = 30), child molesters (n = 17), and victim-crossover sex offenders (n = 22). Using a mixed-methods framework and following Clarke and Cornish’s decision-making model, the authors organized offenders’ narratives collected during semistructured interviews into three major areas: (a) offense planning (i.e., premeditation of the crime, estimation of risk of apprehension by the offender, and forensic awareness of the offender); (b) offense strategies (i.e., use of a weapon, use of restraints, use of a vehicle, and level of force used; and (c) aftermath (i.e., event leading to the end of crime and victim release site location choice). Results emphasize the important role of situational factors and age of the victim on the decision-making process of serial sex offenders. Moreover, results show that because of particular choice-structuring properties, the decision making varies across different groups of serial sex offenders.

Victim Resistance in Child Sexual Abuse: A Look Into the Efficacy of Self-Protection Strategies Based on the Offender’s Experience

This study examines the efficacy, as experienced by offenders with their victim, of self-protection strategies used in child sexual abuse cases. It also investigates whether the efficacy of self-protection varies according to victim characteristics. The sample consists of 94 adult offenders who sexually abused a single child and who agreed to provide confidential self-report data on the efficacy of self-protection strategies used by their victim. Strategies taken into account are: (1) yelling or screaming, (2) fighting back, (3) saying no, (4) saying they didn’t want to, (5) crying, (6) telling someone else about the abuse, (7) saying they were scared, (8) demanding to be left alone, (9) saying they would tell someone, (10) saying that people are not supposed to touch their private parts, (11) trying to get away, and (12) yelling for help. Saying that they do not want to have sexual contact and saying “no” to the offender are the most effective strategies. Because they are more likely to use self-protection initially, younger girls are also more likely to prevent episodes of abuse than older girls.

Predictors of victim disclosure in child sexual abuse: additional evidence from a sample of incarcerated adult sex offenders

The under-reporting of child sexual abuse by victims is a serious problem that may prolong the suffering of victims and leave perpetrators free to continue offending. Yet empirical evidence indicates that victim disclosure rates are low. In this study, we perform regression analysis with a sample of 369 adult child sexual offenders to examine potential predictors of victim disclosure. Specifically, we extend the range of previously examined potential predictors of victim disclosure and investigate interaction effects in order to better capture under which circumstances victim disclosure is more likely. The current study differs from previous studies in that it examines the impact of victim and offense variables on victim disclosure from the perspective of the offender. In line with previous studies, we found that disclosure increased with the age of the victim and if penetration had occurred. In addition, we found that disclosure increased when the victim came from a non-dysfunctional family and resisted the abuse. The presence of an interaction effect highlighted the impact of the situation on victim disclosure. This effect indicated that as victims get older, they are more likely to disclose the abuse when they are not living with the offender at the time of abuse, but less likely to do so when they are living with the offender at the time of abuse. These findings are discussed in relation to previous studies and the need to facilitate victim disclosure.

Prevention nearby: The influence of the presence of a potential guardian on the severity of child sexual abuse

The main aim of this study was to examine the effect of a potential guardian on the severity of child sexual abuse. Using data obtained on crime events from adult child sexual offenders incarcerated in Queensland (Australia), mixed-effects logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the effect of potential guardianship on the severity of abuse. Controlling for victim and situational characteristics, the analyses showed that the presence of a potential guardian reduced the duration of sexual contact and the occurrence of penetration. Presence of a potential guardian decreased the risk of sexual penetration by 86%. The study highlights the importance of the presence of a potential guardian for reducing the severity of child sexual abuse, and suggests more broadly that guardianship may be an important protective factor in sexual offending.

An exploratory study of victim resistance in child sexual abuse: offender modus operandi and victim characteristics.

The use of self-protection strategies and related situation in rape has been studied by several scholars. The circumstances in which children are more likely to resist sexual victimization have, however, not been studied. This study examines the association between offence-related factors—specifically, the preoffence situation, the modus operandi strategies adopted by offenders, and victim characteristics—and victim resistance in sexual offences against children.The sample consisted of 94 adult offenders convicted of having committed a sexual offence against a child (or adolescent) of 16 years of age or younger and who agreed to provide confidential self-report data concerning their offending behavior and victim resistance actions. Victim resistance strategies were regrouped into three categories, namely, physical resistance, forceful verbal resistance, and nonforceful verbal resistance. The total number of resistance strategies was also used in the analyses. Overall, the age of the victim was found to be related to nonforceful verbal resistance, and violence was related to all forms of resistance.Younger girls were found to be more likely to employ nonforceful verbal resistance than older girls and to use a greater number of strategies as well. To provide reliable knowledge to build on for reducing the risk of child sexual abuse, this study suggests the need for prevention programs to include empirical findings regarding the circumstances in which children are more likely to resist sexual victimization.

Juvenile Sexual Offenders Correlates of Onset, Variety, and Desistance of Criminal Behavior

The aim of the study was to identify the factors associated with age of onset of sexual aggression, and variety and desistance of criminal activity, among adolescent sexual aggressors. The sample consisted of 351 adolescents (M age = 15.8 years, SD = 1.8) who were assessed in an outpatient psychiatric clinic between 1992 and 2002. Recidivism data were collected after a mean follow-up period of 8 years. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses demonstrated that some variables related to childhood and adolescent development discriminated among participants who went on to follow different criminal activity trajectories. Indices of early antisocial behaviors (aggressive behavior, antisocial traits) were associated with early activation of a pattern of sexual offending as well as a polymorphic criminal career in adolescence. Findings supported previous research indicating that most adolescent sexual offenders who persist in a criminal career commit a variety of offenses and do not specialize in sexual crimes.