Suzanne Curnoe

A study of clerics who commit sexual offenses: are they different from other sex offenders?

OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to determine if cleric-sex offenders differed significantly from other sex offenders when compared to a control group and assessed with standard instruments that examine the major factors important in sexual offenses. METHOD Twenty-four male clerics accused of sexual offenses were compared to 24 male sex offender controls, matched on offense type, age, education, and marital status. Both groups were compared to a general sample of sex offenders (n = 2125) matched only for offense type. The three groups were compared on sexual history and preference, substance abuse, mental illness and personality, history of crime and violence, neuropsychological impairment, and endocrine abnormalities, using reliable and valid measures. RESULTS The clerics in this study formed a statistically significant highly educated, older, and predominantly single subgroup of sex offenders. The majority of cleric-sex offenders suffered from a sexual disorder (70.8%), predominantly homosexual pedophilia, as measured by phallometric testing, but did not differ from the control groups in this respect. The clerics were comparable to the other two groups in most respects, but tended to show less antisocial personality disorders and somewhat more endocrine disorders. The most noteworthy features differentiating the clerics from highly educated matched controls were that clerics had a longer delay before criminal charges were laid, or lacked criminal charges altogether, and they tended to use force more often in their offenses. CONCLUSIONS In spite of differences in age, education, and occupation between cleric-sex offenders and sex offenders in general, the same procedures should be used in the assessment of this group as for the sex offender population in general. Hypotheses about reduced sexual outlet and increased sexual abuse of clerics in childhood were not supported. Assessment and treatment of cleric-sex offenders should focus especially on sexual deviance, substance abuse, and endocrine disorders.

The Prevalence of Sex Offenders With Deviant Fantasies

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, and contemporary psychological theory have assigned a central role to deviant sexual fantasy in the genesis, maintenance, and treatment of sex offenders, but empirical studies to support that role are few in number. In this article, 201 male admitting sex offenders and controls were compared on the Clarke Sex History Questionnaire Fantasy Scales. Almost all respondents reported having fantasies of adult females, but only one third of the sex offenders reported having deviant fantasies. The frequencies of deviant fantasies for all groups tended to be low, and controls had more fantasies in general than sex offenders. Results were not influenced by response set, naive lying, age, education, or intelligence. The results suggest that the number of sex offenders reporting deviant fantasies is too low for fantasy to have etiological significance, and it only has limited utility in diagnosis and treatment in general.

The Use of Pornography during the Commission of Sexual Offenses

The goal of this study was to examine the use of pornographic materials by sex offenders during the commission of their crimes. A sample of 561 sex offenders was examined. There were 181 offenders against children, 144 offenders against adults, 223 incest offenders, 8 exhibitionists, and 5 miscellaneous cases. All but four cases were men. A total of 96 (17%) offenders had used pornography at the time of their offenses. More offenders against children than against adults used pornography in the offenses. Of the users, 55% showed pornographic materials to their victims and 36% took pictures, mostly of child victims. Nine cases were involved in the distribution of pornography. Results showed that pornography plays only a minor role in the commission of sexual offenses, however the current findings raise a major concern that pornography use in the commission of sexual crimes primarily involved child victims.

Psychopathy, ADHD, and Brain Dysfunction as Predictors of Lifetime Recidivism Among Sex Offenders

This study examines the best predictor of lifetime recidivism among Hare’s psychopathy scores (PCL-R), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis, and brain dysfunction measures in a sample of 1,695 adult male sexual, violent, and nonviolent offenders. Results indicated that most variables were associated with significantly more frequent recidivism. The best predictor of overall recidivism was the PCL-R, but more specifically, it was its items on criminal history that were associated with recidivism. Sexual offense recidivism was predicted by the presence of learning disorders; however, all measures were poor predictors. General recidivism was primarily associated with past criminal history and secondarily with learning disorders and ADHD. Results suggest that ADHD and brain dysfunction with criminal history measures are the best predictors for addressing the problem of criminal recidivism.

Are the Mentally Retarded and Learning Disordered Overrepresented Among Sex Offenders and Paraphilics

A sample of 2,286 male sex offenders and paraphilics and 241 nonsex offenders was evaluated for the prevalence of mental retardation and learning disorders, using the full Wechsler IQ scales. The sex offenders were generally of average intelligence, and the mentally retarded were not overrepresented among them, but the learning disordered were. There were no differences among sex offenders and controls in overall IQ or in the percentage of mentally retarded or learning-disordered cases, suggesting that the learning difficulties are not peculiar to sex offenders. There was a bias in referral source, with more mentally retarded, borderline-retarded, and/or learning-disordered cases being referred by the Childrens Aid Society, prisons, and the Crown, suggesting that referral source may play a significant role in evaluating intelligence and mental retardation among sex offenders; but the overrepresentation of learning disorders among criminals appears to be a significant phenomenon, regardless of referral source.

The prevalence of diabetes among sexual and violent offenders and its co‐occurrence with cognitive impairment, mania, psychotic symptoms and aggressive behavior

The prevalence of diabetes among 915 sexual, violent, and non-violent non-sex offenders was found to be more than twice the prevalence in the general population. Diabetes was most common among violent offenders and among sex offenders who victimized children. The older diabetics presented significantly more often with cognitive impairment and younger diabetics more often with manic and psychotic symptoms. Younger diabetics were significantly more likely to use force and a weapon in their offenses and were most likely to injure their victims when compared to older diabetics and younger and older non-diabetic offenders. In more than one in four cases, the diabetes was undiagnosed at the time of their offenses prior to clinical assessment, suggesting that undiagnosed diabetes may be a possible mitigating factor in some sexual and violent offenses. Results indicate that a routine endocrine evaluation with blood tests would be a valuable addition to the assessment of violent and sexual offenders.

Assessing Neuropsychological Impairment Among Sex Offenders and Paraphilics

ABSTRACT A sample of 1,180 sex offenders and paraphilics (SOPs) and 113 non–sex offender controls were compared on the Halstead-Reitan (HR) Neuropsychological Battery. The SOPs were further divided into offenders against adults versus offenders against children and into offenders against males, females, or both genders, regardless of victim age. The confounding influence of substance abuse, history of brain trauma and abnormalities, as well as age, education, IQ, learning disorders, endocrine abnormalities, and birth and developmental abnormalities were also examined. Overall, 33.5% of SOPs were impaired on the HR Battery, but they did not differ significantly from non–sex offender controls. It was the SOPs against children who were significantly more impaired than offenders against adults. Stepwise regression analysis examining all significant variables, showed that age and IQ were the first factors that entered in the analysis, but the presence of learning disorders and endocrine abnormalities also contributed significant variance in predicting the HR impairment index. Results suggest that examination of neuropsychological impairment in sex offenders is a complex but important dimension of their forensic assessment and treatment planning.

Physicians Who Commit Sexual Offences: Are They Different from other Sex Offenders?

Objective: To determine if physician sex offenders differ significantly from other sex offenders by using a control group and assessing both groups with reliable and valid instruments. Method: Nineteen male physician sex offenders were compared with 19 male sex offender control subjects, matched on offence type, age, education, and marital status. Both groups were compared with a general sample of sex offenders (n = 2125). The 3 groups were compared on sexual history and preference, substance abuse, mental illness, personality, history of crime and violence, neuropsychological impairment, and endocrine abnormalities. Results: Physicians in this study were highly educated and older, forming a statistically significant subgroup of sex offenders. The majority of physician sex offenders suffered from a sexual disorder (68.4%), as did the other 2 groups. Physicians showed more neuropsychological impairment and endocrine abnormalities and less antisocial behaviour than did the general sample of sex offenders but did not differ from the matched control group. Physician offenders who sexually assaulted their patients did not differ from those who had nonpatient victims. Conclusions: Despite differences in age, education, and occupation between physician sex offenders and sex offenders in general, the same assessment procedures can be recommended for examining both groups. Although the sample size is small, results suggest that physicians who commit sexual offences should be scrutinized by phallometric assessment of sexual deviance and especially for neurological and endocrine abnormalities.

Generational Substance Abuse among Male Sexual Offenders and Paraphilics

Abstract This study examines three hypotheses: (1) there is an association of parental and offspring substance abuse for sex offenders and paraphilics; (2) there is a higher occurrence of substance abuse among the parents of sex offenders and paraphilics than seen in the general population; (3) substance abuse among the parents will be associated with a higher frequency of birth and developmental abnormalities, learning disabilities (LD), mental retardation, attertion deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and school learning problems (school dropouts, grade failures, and placement in special education) common in sex offenders and paraphilics. A sample of 1,012 male sex offenders and paraphilics were asked about substance abuse among their parents and about their own birth and developmental abnormalities and school learning problems. Three in five families had a parent who was a substance abuser and there was a significant concordance of parental and offspring substance abuse. Substance abusing parents more often than nonabusing parents had sons with developmental and learning problems on every measure examined. Results suggest that parental substance abuse appears to play a role in the neurodevelopment, associated learning problems, and substance abuse reported in studies of sex offenders and paraphilics and it should be explored as a possible factor in the genesis of sexual disorders.

A Comparison of Psychopathy, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Brain Dysfunction Among Sex Offenders

This study examines the relationship of Hares psychopathy scores (PCL-R) with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis and brain dysfunction measures in a sample of 1,695 adult male sexual, violent, and nonviolent offenders. ADHD and brain dysfunction were significantly more common among psychopaths than non-psychopaths. Psychopaths showed more neurological disorders and early problems with learning disorders. Although psychopathy is characteristically considered to be an untreatable and dangerous condition, its significant association with ADHD and brain dysfunction indicates that there are important treatment paths that should be explored and that early treatment should be an important consideration in prevention of adult criminal behavior.