1

Running Head: Sex Offender and Abuse History

The Sex Offender and History of Abuse

Arizona State University

CRJ 302: Research Methods

ABSTRACT

Discussing the problem; what is the main correlating cause of sex offenders offending? The

objective here is to find out what the highest reoccurring trait is among the sex offender

population. There are many different instances that have been found to be apparent in the sex

offender population including but not limited to; mental illness, age, history of substance abuse,

post-traumatic stress disorder, history of domestic abuse, criminal history, gender, adolescent

development, social class, education, and history of sexual abuse. This list brings forth questions

that need to be answered in hopes for successful engagement of the ever-rising number of sexual

abuse cases. Which is the most prevalent? What came first? Do sex offenders decide one day to

start offending out of the blue? What provoked the current sex offender? How can this issue of

sexual abuse be prevented? Is there a way to provide support so the numbers can stop, begin to

drop, be eliminated? How much do we really know? These questions and more have only

scratched the surface. When it comes to a sexual offender offending, I believe the main

correlating reason is due to a history of being abused themselves. That it caused the rest of the

symptoms listed above, the memory of that trauma brought about mental illness because there

were no means to address the problem before it re-wired their brain. There are many forms of

research material available including qualitative studies, quantitative studies, primary data,

secondary data, descriptive studies, and experimental studies. All of which have tried to find the

meaning behind the typologies/etiologies of sex offenders. Through the research study the

discovery was found to be inconclusive. There is no single reason for a sex offender offending.

Key findings: sex offenders are predominantly male, sex offenders display a variety of mental

disorders, sex offenders are not restricted to a specific social class, most sexual offenses often go

unreported, and many sex offenders do not like to participate in research studies without benefit.
 3
Running Head: Sex Offender and Abuse History

INTRODUCTION

This document is a hypothetical research study on sexual offenders. It is also a

cumulation of work done throughout CRJ 302: Research Methods. Through this document

information will be presented on the sexual offender population, literature review of previous

studies, statistics, analysis, and theories. The next section will involve the hypothetical methods

used to conduct my own study on the etiology of sex offenders. The hypothetical methods

section will include the participants of the study, the materials I used to conduct the study as well

as the design, and the procedure in which I conducted the research. This section will be followed

by the conclusion, the conclusion will incorporate; why this research is useful and how this

research may affect policy or practice in the criminal justice field.

LITERATURE REVIEW

There are different sources providing different theories and studies on the sex offender

population. This section will be delving into these theories and previously done studies to review

them for a better understanding. This will not only provide a better understanding of the

information already provided by the study but also it will give insight on what has already been

done and based on the results how the study can be improved. This section will cover single

factor theories including biological, evolutionary, personality, cognitive and social learning. The

information for multifactor theories as well including Marshall and Barbaree’s Integrated theory

and Stinson/Sales/Becker Multimodal Self-Regulation Theory.

SINGLE-FACTOR THEORIES

BIOLOGICAL
 4
Running Head: Sex Offender and Abuse History

The studies behind biological theories started because studies have found peculiarities in

the brain structures of sexual offenders including abnormal hormone levels, genetic deficits, and

deficits in intellectual functioning. When conducting a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the

brain on ninety-six mentally ill offenders of a high security prison, of which 62.5% of them were

sex offenders, the abnormality rate in their brains was an astonishing 81.4% (Aigner et al., 2000).

The study on hormones was conducted on specifically testosterone levels of sex offenders, the

thinking was that that specific hormone creates a change in males so maybe if there were

abnormalities in that area it could give some answers. To this day there is still no evidence found

that clearly links hormone levels and sex offenders (Marshall, D Richard Laws, & Barbaree,

1990). The biological studies thus far have not been proven as of yet to give any information

concretely linking singularly biological factors being the main cause of sexual offenders

(Stinson, Sales & Becker, 2008).

EVOLUTIONARY

This theory believes that people have grown and adapted to the challenges in the world

today. That sexual offenders are a product of the ever-changing world and that this is how this

specific group has adapted to fit into it. It is thought that sexual offending is a reproductive

strategy according to this theory and that some men cannot get a mate any other way because of

their lack of being desirable by the opposite gender. This theory in general is very difficult to

test, this idea has been largely discarded (Faupel & Przybylski, 2014).

PERSONALITY

Personality theories are among the earliest sources of explanation for the behaviors of sex

offenders. The theory came out due to the work of Sigmund Freud, who thought that sexual
 5
Running Head: Sex Offender and Abuse History

deviance was an expression of unresolved problems in an individual’s childhood/developmental

years (Faupel & Przbylski, 2014). Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist who conducted

work on mental disorder and that they may be caused by psychological factors instead of organic

brain disease (Merriam-Webster, 1995). Research has also shown in the stance of personality

theories that sex offenders found that men who sexually abuse children do not have the

developed social skills or self-confidence to form mutually beneficial relationships among

people their own age, also that juveniles who have committed sexual offenses have had a lower

attachment to their father/father figure than their non sexual offending counterparts, and that the

testing done on personality types as it correlates with sex offenders does not provide consistent

findings to be a sure sign of evidence (Faupel & Przbylski, 2014). The theories of sexual

offenders’ personalities do not provide the total explanation of the cause of the sexual offending

behavior among this population (Faupel & Przbylski, 2014).

COGNITIVE

This type of theory discusses the way that the sexual offense acts are caused by thoughts

the individual has having a great affect on their behavior (Faupel & Przbylski, 2014). In this

sense theorists believe that sex offenders have a great ability to excuse or minimize their

offending behavior thus having it, in their minds, be justified (W. L. Marshall, Anderson, &

Champagne, 1997). The offender will even go as far as blaming the victim for making them do

what they did. Not only do sex offenders have the possible feeling of low self-worth, they also

may have a cognitive distortion that was found to be common among sexual offenders which is

an abnormal sense of entitlement. The sex offender thinks that the need to commit the sexual

offense outweighs the negative experience of their victim (Faupel & Przbylski, 2014). According

to research done by Keenan & Ward, sex offenders do not interpret social cues as an ordinary
 6
Running Head: Sex Offender and Abuse History

person would and they have a hard time recognizing the emotional state of others, which means

that their decision making process does not include how it may affect the other person involved

(2000).

SOCIAL LEARNING

The theory of social learning hypothesizes two explanations. The first is that individuals

who are sexually abused develop into the abuser, and the second is that sexually explicit material

contributes to the sexual offending behavior (Faupel & Przbylski, 2014). What studies found in

the first instance is that it does not automatically lead for the abusee to become the abuser,

though offenders have a higher rate of sexual abuse among their population these results do not

correlate with the general population who have been abused and did not develop into the abuser

(Faupel & Przbylski, 2014). Though there are certain types of offenders like those who offend

against young boys that actually do have higher rates of child abuse in their histories and that

those victims who later do become the perpetrators of sexual abuse are predominantly male

(Stinson, Sales, & Becker, 2008). Now onto the affects of pornography, pornography use among

the sex offender population is generally high, this coincides with the cause of sexual offenses as

it desensitizes the perpetrators towards their victims causing a reduction in empathy (Faupel &

Przbylski, 2014). This is contributing to the theory of social learning as saying that sexual abuse

is a learned behavior, while sex offenders have the need to justify their actions and be able to

know how to do that within themselves by using the tools provided to them. This is proven

because there is sound empirical evidence that sexual offending is a learned behavior (Faupel &

Przbylski, 2014). Whether this be learned through being abused themselves or watching the

abuse happen with the use pornography. This action of their committing the sexual abuse then

becomes the norm.

MULTIFACTOR THEORIES OF SEX OFFENDING

STINSON, SALES, AND BECKER’S MULIMODAL SELF REGULATIONS

This theory goes into the possibility that self-regulatory deficits play a key role in the

development of sexually inappropriate interests and behaviors (Faupel & Przbylski, 2014). The

belief is that these deficits come from negative childhood experiences sometime during the

perpetrator’s sexual development (Faupel & Przbylski, 2014). This study suggested that

inappropriate sexual gratification along with lack of corrective action solidified the behavior

(Stinson, Sales, & Becker, 2008). Not only that but the cognitive beliefs and personality traits

also can serve as mediators in the development of deviant sexual behaviors including

egocentricity, resentments, entitlement, impulsivity, and irresponsibility (Stinson, Sales, &

Becker, 2008).

MARSHALL AND BARBAREE’S INTEGRATED THEORY

This theory discusses the facts that prominent causal factors for sexual offending are a

combination of developmental experiences, biological processes, cultural norms, and

psychological vulnerability (William L Marshall, D Richard Laws, & Barbaree, 1990). In this

study Marshall and Barbaree thought that early negative experiences in childhood like sexual and

physical abuse along with neglect caused him/her to feel unworthy or unloved (William L

Marshall, D Richard Laws, & Barbaree, 1990). Coupled with that the offender would then fill

their need to feel worthy and loved by acting out on these inappropriate sexual behaviors. This

would then increase their sense of competence, self-esteem, personal connection, and fulfillment

(William L Marshall, D Richard Laws, & Barbaree, 1990). Through this study a key factor was

found that adolescent boys need to learn the differences between sexual impulses and aggression
 8
Running Head: Sex Offender and Abuse History

even though this would be difficult to do because both of the impulses are controlled by the same

part of the brain (William L Marshall, D  Richard Laws, & Barbaree, 1990). In order for this to

be changed the need to condition the perpetrators brain to be able to distinguish this would need

to be done in a controlled environment where the individual would need to be willing to make

that change themselves in a sense of brain restructuring. Overall this particular study has been

the subject of a lot of research, the research done regarding this theory has supported it (Faupel

& Przbylski, 2014).

HYPOTHETICAL METHODS SECTION

PARTICIPANTS

The participants chosen in this study were convicted sexual offenders living in Minnesota

that were either incarcerated in a prison, civilly committed in a treatment facility, attending out-

patient treatment, or registered sex offenders living in the general population. The participants

were selected through the sex offender registry. This registry included their name and home

addresses which allowed for the conducting of the research necessary to complete the study. In

total there were 17, 629 registered sex offenders in the state of Minnesota at the time the study

was conducted. There were 1,500 participants that were chosen randomly by being assigned a

number 1-17, 629 after being organized on a list A through Z by last name. A being set with the

starting value of 1.

MATERIALS

The materials used to conduct this research were a computer, an excel document, a

random number generator, a release of information for specified data in treatment records

(history of being sexually abused), a consent form, a privacy/anonymity statement, an

Institutional Review Board (IRB) form/letter (if necessary), an already stamped return envelope,

and a step by step instruction form.

DESIGN

The experiment was a within-groups design. The independent variable was the convicted

and registered sex offender themselves. The dependent variable was contained in their individual

records of treatment on information of past sexual abuse.

PROCEDURE

The researcher compiled the list of registered sex offenders in the state of Minnesota in

alphabetical order by the first last name starting with the letter “A” as number 1 all the way

through the last last name containing the letter “Z” as number 17,629 in an excel document on

the computer. The random number generator was preset to contain the numbers 1 through

17,629. Next the researcher used a random number generator 1,500 times. The 1,500 numbers

given by the random number generator were compared to the correlating number preassigned to

the individual sex offender on the registry. The researcher then compiled a list on the computer

using an excel document numbering 1 through 1,500 of the registered sex offenders randomly

chosen in alphabetical order by last name from A to Z, first of A being 1 through the last of Z

being 1,500. Then 1,500 mail packets were written with addresses of the registered sex offenders

with the necessary documentation contained inside along with a pre-written and stamped

envelope for the documentation to be returned to the researcher.

CONCLUSION

While conducting this study the overall results were inconclusive. There were insufficient

results as the participants selected for the study did not all respond. Only 48% of participants
 10
Running Head: Sex Offender and Abuse History

returned the information required to conduct the necessary statistical analysis of the results to

come up with valid and reliable quantitative data. This research would be otherwise useful when

conducting research on the sex offender population to be able to better understand the population

as a whole and what can be done to prevent such acts of sexual abuse. If most sexual abusers

were the products of sexual abuse themselves, it could give us insight into how we can come up

with an availability of treatment for such abusees. This could in turn help the abusee dissect the

trauma that was induced allowing for a better cognitive state of the victim. This will also in

hopes break the hypothetical chain of abuse. As per two adults in a household possibly

containing multiple children, the exposure rate to abuse at least doubles depending on the

number of children in the household, thus containing the statistics to the rise in the number of

sexual abuse cases in the United States. The lack of availability of care for children undergoing

such abuse conveys the actions of the adult abuser to be normalized. With this research new

policies and practices could be implemented through the recognition of those hypothetically at

high-risk of becoming a sexual abuser. Thus, allowing the criminology/criminal justice field to

be able to mitigate the number of sexual abuse cases by incorporating more beneficial and

refined treatment programs, hotlines, educational information, facilities, and housing for victims

considered to be high-risk.
 11
Running Head: Sex Offender and Abuse History

References

Aigner, M., Eher, R., Fruehwald, S., Frottier, P., Gutierrez-Lobos, K., & Dwyer, S. M. (2000).

Brain Abnormalities and Violent Behavior. Journal of Psychology & Human

Sexuality, 11(3), 57–64. [Link]

Boccaccini, M. T., Rufino, K. A., Jackson, R. L., & Murrie, D. C. (2013). Personality

Assessment Inventory scores as predictors of misconduct among sex offenders civilly

committed as sexually violent predators. Psychological Assessment, 25(4), 1390–1395.

[Link]

Faupel, S., & Przybylski, R. (2014). Chapter 2: Etiology of Adult Sexual Offending | Sex

Offender Management Assessment and Planning Initiative. Retrieved from [Link]

website: [Link]

Keenan, T., & Ward, T. (2000). A Theory of Mind Perspective on Cognitive, Affective, and

Intimacy Deficits in Child Sexual Offenders. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and

Treatment, 12(1), 49–60. [Link]

Local Crime Alerts. (2014). Minnesota Sex Offender Registry MN: Search by Zip Code, Map.

Retrieved February 26, 2020, from [Link] website:

[Link]

Marshall, W. L., Anderson, D., & Champagne, F. (1997). Self-esteem and its relationship to

sexual offending. Psychology, Crime & Law, 3(3), 161–186.

[Link]

Marshall, William L, D  Richard Laws, & Barbaree, H. E. (1990). Handbook of sexual assault :

issues, theories, and treatment of the offender. New York: Plenum Press.
 12
Running Head: Sex Offender and Abuse History

Merriam-Webster, I. (1995). Merriam-Webster’s encyclopedia of literature. Springfield, Mass.:

Merriam-Webster.

Stinson, J. D., Sales, B. D., & Becker, J. V. (2008). Sex Offending : Causal Theories to Inform

Research, Prevention, and Treatment. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological

Association.

Thornhill, R., & Palmer, C. (2000). A natural history of rape: biological bases of sexual

coercion. Choice Reviews Online, 37(10), 37-5737-37–5737.

[Link]

U.S Department of Justice. (2016). Sex Offender Registry Websites | Federal Bureau of

Investigation. Retrieved February 28, 2020, from Federal Bureau of Investigation

website: [Link]