Misperceptions about child sex offenders / Kelly Richards.

Canberra : Australian Institute of Criminology, 2011.

79579

Crime -- Australia -- Periodicals.

Criminal justice, Administration of -- Australia -- Periodicals.

Criminals -- Australia -- Periodicals.

Child molesters.

Sexual offending against children is a highly emotive issue. It is nonetheless important that public policy initiatives to prevent and/or respond to child sexual abuse are based on the available evidence about child sex offenders. This paper addresses five common misperceptions about the perpetrators of sexual offences against children. Specifically, the issues addressed include whether all child sex offenders are 'paedophiles', who sexually abuse children, whether most child sex offenders were victims of sexual abuse themselves, rates of recidivism among child sex offenders and the number of children sex offenders typically abuse before they are detected by police. The evidence outlined in this paper highlights that there are few black and white answers to these questions. Perpetrators of sexual crimes against children are not, contrary to widespread opinion, a homogenous group. Rather, there are a number of varied offending profiles that characterise child sex offenders. Gaining an understanding of the nuances of this offender population is critical if children are to be protected from sexual abuse.

Title from title caption of PDF document (viewed on October 10, 2011)

"September 2011".

Includes bibliographical references (p. 7-8)

Text and graphics.

1836-2206