Citation

Leclerc B, Chiu Y, Cale J. Int. J. Offender Ther. Comp. Criminol. 2014; 60(7): 743-765.

Affiliation

University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0306624X14564319

PMID

25527623

Abstract

Most criminal justice responses to address sexual violence and abuse against children are aimed at identifying and incarcerating offenders or at best, trying to prevent them from reoffending. This policy situation, primarily characterized by tertiary intervention strategies, is exacerbated by a lack of evidence-based knowledge about the circumstances in which this phenomenon occurs. This specific information can inform certain types of primary and secondary prevention strategies. In this study, we are taking the first steps to address this situation by (a) organising and reviewing for the first time the empirical knowledge on this phenomenon according to questions asked by environmental criminologists and crime analysts, that is, the who, what, where, when, and how this phenomenon occurs, and (b) discussing directions for future research. By engaging in this exercise, we argue that environmental criminology can substantially contribute to understanding and informing prevention practices in the field of sexual violence and abuse against children.

Language: en