The overarching goal of the current work was to explore sanctions experienced by sex offenders prior to incarceration, during incarceration, and after their release using three separate but interrelated studies. The first study analyzed how the media framed sex offenders, and how this compared to the media’s portrayal of murderers. The study used a content analysis of newspaper articles published in 2007, the year after the Adam Walsh Safety and Protection Act was passed, and 2017. Open coding (the identification of categories and concepts) and axial coding (the process of relating categories and concepts) strategies were used. Findings showed that the media relied on specific categories to describe offenders, victims, and offenses, with an emphasis on sensationalized stories. The second study was an exploratory effort to understand how sex offenders were treated in prison, whether they were subject to greater maltreatment and/or distrust than other inmates, and if certain segments of the inmate population were more accepting of sex offenders than others. The study used labeling theory to guide these efforts, with an emphasis on stigma and stigmatic shaming. The data were from 5 years of letters written by a convicted sex offender during his incarceration. A content analysis using open coding and axial coding were used. Findings suggested that public perceptions of prison life as dangerous and violent were not consistent with the offender’s lived experience. The last study examined which areas offenders were most likely to reside and characteristics of these communities. The study drew from social disorganization theory and focused on the concept of concentrated disadvantage. The study used ArcGIS, a mapping software program, to demonstrate the areas in which sex offenders reside and the locations in which they were in violation of current housing restrictions. The study found that a proportion of sex offenders in Mississippi were in violation of housing restrictions that prevented them from living close to areas where children were most likely to be present (e.g., parks and schools).

Currently, it is estimated that there are over 45 million child pornographic images and videos on the internet. The purpose of the current study is to record the characteristics of those convicted of accessing, distributing, and/or producing child pornography in the State of North Dakota. To examine this phenomenon, the District of North Dakota Federal Probation and Pretrial Supervision Service records have been disseminated. Overall, the results indicate that child pornographers in North Dakota mirror those around the globe. In addition, the sample of child pornographers was compared to other sexual offenders and general offenders through bivariate analyses. There were statistically significant differences found between both groups.

The primary goal of this study was to analyze the characteristics of current registered sex offenders in Collin County, Texas, as well as to compare age and gender of the victims of these offenders in order to know who sex offenders primarily target in these crimes. The study also sought to discover geographic patterns of where the registered sex offenders reside for the purpose of keeping communities aware. Participants consisted of 175 registered sex offenders (N = 175) in Collin County, Texas, found on Collin County's and the Texas Department of Public Safety's online public registries. The findings demonstrate that there were significant trends among the sex offenders, their victims, location of residence, and housing complications as a result of progressing sex offender laws. Treatment programs and the reintegration of offenders in the community were also addressed. The meaning of the results in this study can aid in the development of safety and prevention strategies, provide an understanding about the utilization of sex offender registries, and can benefit law enforcement to predict the movement of current sex offenders, along with knowing where to find other potential offenders.

A review of the literature demonstrates that, to date, no concerted effort has been made to conceptualize and develop typologies for youthful male sex offenders on the basis of offense type. Such typologies are deemed important to the understanding of possible developmental antecedents for sexual offending, as well as to the development of theory-driven, empirically based interventions and preventions. This study attempts to begin the conceptualization process through a meta-analytic examination of 140 research samples that provide data on over 16,000 individuals who have committed sexual offenses as youth. Three subtypes of offenders are identified on the basis of offense type: sexual assault offenders, pedophilic offenders (those who molest children significantly younger than they are), and mixed offense offenders (those who commit multiple types of offenses, e.g., voyeurism, sexual assault, and pedophilic acts). The paucity of research that exists for youth voyeurs and exhibitionists precluded the inclusion of these and other "hands-off" offense subtypes. Descriptive and inferential analyses are conducted and described, typologies are presented, and implications for treatment are suggested. Recommendations for future research are made.

Mitigating evidence is evidence that is presented during the sentencing phase of a trial and is meant to argue for leniency in sentencing. A new form of psycho-legal professional, called a mitigation specialist, is being relied upon more often to assemble the diverse array of psychosocial factors into coherent arguments for less severe sentences. Unfortunately, there is a lack of empirical evidence upon which such professionals can base their work. This is of particular concern in the context of sex offenses—where strong attitudes may overwhelm legal instruction. In collaboration with the Office of the Pima County Public Defender, the current investigation utilized 209 cases; half involving sex offenses, half involving violent non-sexual offenses, and half utilizing professional mitigation, half not utilizing professional mitigation, to better elucidate the effects of professional mitigation reports on sentences in cases involving sexual and violent nonsexual crime. Results revealed that the effectiveness of mitigation reports was heavily moderated by case type. While mitigating evidence was effective in reducing sentence length for violent nonsexual offenses, it had the opposite effect in the cases involving sex offenses. Psychological reports, however were effective in reducing sentence lengths for cases involving sex offenses. Individual mitigating factors and lexical characteristics (examined through Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software) did not show any consistent relationship with sentence length, suggesting that the effect of the mitigation reports as a whole cannot necessarily be discerned from its parts. Limitations, future directions, and possible implications for the practice of mitigation specialists are explored.

Federal and State law in a northeastern US state requires all adjudicated sex offenders to register on the state's sex offender registry (SOR) for the purpose of protecting the citizens of the state from predatory sex offenders and reducing sexual recidivism. This study tests the assumption, based on deterrence theory, that registration on the SOR is necessary as a deterrent to future sexual offending by sex offenders. Data from the Maryland Sex Offender Registry in two counties in a northeastern US state pertaining to a total of 1,985 registered sex offenders were analyzed to see geographic differences of offender, and state sexual crime data over a 24 year period from 1991-2016 was analyzed using multiple regression. Independent variables included completeness of information on the MSOR registry profile; recidivism, re-arrest rates, and violence against women were the dependent variables. The analysis revealed that offenders in Baltimore County the more rural part were more likely to provide not valid addresses or addresses that are out of compliance with state and federal regulations for the SOR. Analysis also revealed that there was statistical significance in the recidivism rates of sex offenders in Maryland after the implementation of the Sex Offender Registry. This supports previous published research findings that SOR registration has no deterrent effect on recidivism. Implications for positive social changes include reducing the number of false positives, improving the quality of life for sex offenders, better allocation of public resources, and increased safety for citizens through better assessment of risk factors.

The study and treatment of juvenile sex offenders (JSOs) has been steadily growing since its separation from the adult sex offender category in the early 1980s. Although many studies concern themselves with one specific research variable, this study looked at the presence of twelve characteristics historically associated with JSOs: sexual abuse, early exposure to sexuality, conduct disorder problems, exposure to crime in the family of origin, personal substance abuse, family substance abuse, school performance difficulties, school behavior problems, mental health difficulties, social skills deficits, changes in family structure, and nonsexual forms of abuse. This was an effort to see if these factors are consistent in a Northern Utah sex offender treatment facility with existing literature and if any correlations of significance exist among these variables. Data were drawn from the initial assessments of 124 clients between two centers of the Youthtrack-Utah Juvenile Sexual Offender Level-Six Residential Treatment Program through the years of 1998-2007. Results indicated that the frequencies of the factors are indeed consistent with previous studies and literature in terms of their presence among the study JSOs. There were several significant differences between facilities (mental health difficulties and social skills deficits) and multiple correlations existing among variables (frequent family structure changes, school behavior problems, family substance abuse correlating with the most variables). Suggestions for future research include utilizing greater specificity as to how the variables are defined and utilizing the whole client file as a data source. Comparisons of the entire data file with the initial assessment might be useful, looking for initial assessment accuracy in reference to the presence of these variables in a juvenile sex offender’s history. In addition, it is suggested that future studies utilize samples that include all levels of juvenile sex offender treatment, rather than exclusively level six. (122 pages)

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This study explored the use of adding trauma resolution therapy to standard cognitive-behavioral relapse prevention therapy for sex offenders. Ten adjudicated sex offenders with sexual abuse histories were treated with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing as an adjunct to standard outpatient sex offender treatment. Data points include self-report, other-report, assessment instruments, session transcripts, research journals, and physiological measures. Systematic treatment research and development methods (Bischoff, McKeel, Moon, & Sprenkle, 1996) resulted in a proposed treatment protocol. Emergent themes from a cross-case, grounded theory data analysis are presented. The data suggests the adjunct treatment provided some benefit both to participants and to the goals of standard sex offender-specific treatment. Implications for treatment providers, marriage and family therapy, and future research are discussed. / Ph. D.