Citation

Mair KJ. Br. J. Criminol. 1993; 33(2): 267-275.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, Publisher Oxford University Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The common subdivision of sex offenders into rapists' and child molesters ignores the nature of the sexual act involved, classifying solely by age of victim. Using a sample of 100 convicted and imprisoned sex offenders, comparisons were made between those who had imposed sexual intercourse on their victims and those found guilty of other forms of sexual assault. Rapists were found to be younger and to have a less repetitive pattern of offending than those who did not rape their victims, irrespective of whether their victims were adults or children. This suggests that the type of sexual behaviour engaged in might be a useful guide to the understanding and management of sex offenders.