Citation

Soothill K, Francis B, Sanderson B, Ackerley E. Br. J. Criminol. 2000; 40(1): 56-67.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, Publisher Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/bjc/40.1.56

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Sexual offending is on the political agenda but there has been little research focus on the four offence categories--indecent assault against a female, indecent assault against a male, indecency between males and unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16--which together comprise the vast majority of convictions for sexual offences in England and Wales. We consider the criminal record (1963-94 inclusive) of the 6,097 males convicted of one of these offences in 1973. The results are discussed in terms of criminality, heterogeneity, dangerousness and specialization. By recognizing two levels of analysis--general crime level and sex crime level--we argue that sex offenders can be both generalists and specialists; they may range widely across a spectrum of offences but still specialize within sexual offending.