Desistance from sexual offending: Do the mainstream theories apply?

Theories of Sexual Offending

This article presented a theoretical model of sexually deviant interests that described how they may be learned through the same mechanisms by which conventional sexuality is learned . The model is divided into two parts : acquisition processes and maintenance processes . The authors noted that the model adopts the position that maladaptive behavior can result from quantitative and qualitative ...

Understanding Desistance from Sexual Offending: A Thematic Review of Research Findings

Although there is a substantial body of work on desistance from crime in general, comparatively little is known about desistance from sexual crime. The broad aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the research methodology and preliminary findings from a recent empirical study on desistance from sexual offending conducted by the authors. 1 Such findings have potentially important implica...

Sexual Offending Pathways

Background It was predicted that offenders with intellectual disabilities categorised according to Ward & Hudson’s (1998b) self-regulation theory as having an Approach goal, as compared to those with an Avoidant goal, would have higher levels of distorted cognitions, less victim empathy, and a history of more prolific offending. Offenders categorised as having a Passive strategy, as compared to...

Graffiti Offenders' Patterns of Desistance from, and Persistence in, Crime: New Insights into Reducing Recidivist Offending

Handedness, criminality, and sexual offending.

A very large database was used to investigate whether men with a history of criminality and/or sexual offending have a higher incidence of nonright-handedness (NRH) relative to a control sample of nonoffender men. The sample (N>8000) comprised interviews by investigators at the Kinsey Institute for Sex and Reproduction in Indiana. The general offender group and a subsample of sex offenders (e.g...