This thesis uses an exploratory case study design to chronicle the shifts, recognition, and implementation of programs, tools and policies designed for high need federally sentenced women in Canada that were created after 1990, in accordance with or opposed to the gender specific principles outlined in the Creating Choices (1990) report. The body lens is used as an analytic tool to deconstruct eleven of the most pertinent documents regarding policy and strategy for high need women offenders that were implemented by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) personnel and the Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI) over the past twenty years. Coding of a wide range of documents reveals that despite appearing to be rhetorically progressive, CSC’s attempt at creating a women-centered mental health strategy uses contradictory disciplinary techniques that control and restrain the bodies of federally sentenced women in hopes of normalizing the behaviours of high need women. The policies imposed by CSC for high need women offenders fail to make any substantial changes in women’s prison reform and resulted in a different form of regulation and control. High need women offenders are imprisoned in their own bodies.

This thesis examines the role of psychopathy in violent female offending, and explores DSM-IV personality disorders that may also be a factor. Past research on female offenders and psychopathy suggest that this is a valid construct when looking at female offenders. This study was driven by two questions: which personality disorders are most common in adult female offenders who are psychopathic, and are adult female offenders who are psychopathic more likely to have been convicted of a violent offense than those who are not psychopathic, but have at least one personality disorder. The results indicate that Cluster B personality disorders were the most common, and Cluster C the least common. The results also showed that those women who were psychopathic were no more likely to have been convicted of a violent crime than those who had at least one personality disorder, but were not psychopathic. Treatment implications and the direction of future research are discussed.

Mental health professionals may lack the necessary knowledge and competency to work with female sexual offenders. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to determine whether gender influences attitudes toward sexual offenders and their treatment outcomes among psychology and mental health graduate students. This study was grounded in a dual form of deductive theory; alpha and beta bias was the primary theory and constructivism was the secondary theory. Data were collected from 186 graduate students in mental health programs from multiple universities. The Community Attitudes Towards Sex Offenders and the Attitude Towards the Treatment of Sexual Offender assessments were used to measure attitudes toward sexual offenders and attitudes toward sexual offender treatment. Factorial ANOVAs revealed a main effect for offender gender, with more negative attitudes toward female sexual offenders and the treatment of female sexual offenders. A significant interaction effect was found between gender of participant and gender of offender. Attitudes toward female treatment were more negative, particularly with male participants. Considering that most sexual offender treatment programs and awareness programs are geared toward male offenders, findings may be used to develop more effective policy and treatment for female sexual offenders.

Sex crimes are considered to be among the most damaging and heinous forms of social deviance in existence. Besides the acts perpetrated by the offenders, the social stigma attached to being victimized is often just as injurious to the victim. Society sees males as the sole perpetrators of acts of sexual abuse, but this is not the case. The extant literature shows that women, while fewer in number, also perpetrate acts of sexual abuse and assault against other adults and children. This thesis is a preliminary typology that classifies female sexual offenders based upon the acts perpetrated, using cases presented in the extant literature. The pre-existing typologies that have been developed come largely from the psychiatric community, and therefore are classified on motivation rather than acts. While this is by no means a complete typology, it is an essential first step in learning more about this underexamined population.

Juvenile sex offending is not a new phenomenon but is one of limited research, with only a slight increase in research in the past decade. This meta-analysis used 5 articles to determine which holds a greater influence on juvenile sex offenders, biological or social factors. Biological factors were divided into impulsiveness, psychosis/mental health diagnosis (excluding paraphilic disorders), and sexual deviance/paraphilia. Social factors were divided into antisocial behavior, prior criminal activity, prior exposure to sexual activities/pornography, and history of being sexually abused. This meta-analysis found that biological factors have a slightly greater effect on Juvenile sex offenders, but it was not significant.

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published_or_final_version / Criminology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Syftet med förekommande studie var att undersöka om polisens attityder till två olika typer av brottslingar, ekobrottslingar respektive sexualbrottslingar skiljde sig åt och om attityden till dessa brottslingar påverkade deras inställning till vilken förhörsstil som borde användas samt om polisen förespråkade en mer dominant förhörsstil vid förhör med misstänkta för sexualbrott jämfört med misstänkta för ekobrott. För att kunna besvara studiens frågeställningar användes en kvantitativ metod med en mellangruppsdesign. En webbenkät i två olika versioner användes, en för ekobrottslingar och en för sexualbrottslingar. Varje enkät bestod sedan av två delar, en som avsåg attityder och en som avsåg förhör. 55 poliser deltog i studien och fördelades genom ett slumpmässigt urval till respektive betingelse. Resultaten visade att det inte fanns några signifikanta skillnader i polisens attityder till ekobrottslingar respektive sexualbrottslingar, inte heller förespråkade polisen en specifik förhörsstil för någon av brottstyperna. Dock visade resultaten på en signifikant prediktion mellan attityd och förhörsstil när det gäller sexualbrottslingar men inte för ekobrottslingar, vilket innebär att attityd predicerar förhörsstilen för sexualbrottslingar men inte för ekobrottslingar. / The purpose of this study was to investigate whether police attitudes towards two different types of offenders, economic offenders and sex offenders differed and whether the attitudes towards these offenders influenced their choice of interrogation style and if the police advocated a more dominant interrogation style when questioning suspects for sexual offences compared to suspects of economic offences. In order to answer the study's questions, a quantitative method was used with a between group design. One online survey in two different versions were used, one for economic offenders and one for sex offenders. Each survey then consisted of two parts, one related to attitudes and one related to interrogation. 55 police officers participated in the study and were distributed by random sampling to each condition. The results showed that there were no significant differences in police officer´s attitudes between economic offenders and sexual offenders, nor did the police officer´s advocate a certain interrogation style for any of the crime types. But the results showed a significant prediction between attitude and interrogation style when it comes to sex offenders but not to economic offenders, which means that attitude predict the interrogation style for sex offenders but not for economic offenders.

Thesis (M. Medicine (Psychiatry)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / BACKGROUND: The challenge of sexual offence crimes against women and children is notably increasing worldwide with an accompanying impact on the mental and physical well-being of the victims and society, in general. Despite the impact, sexual offenders remain a complex group, not well studied in forensic psychiatry settings globally. Previous studies identify psychosocial factors and mental illness associated with sexual offending. Adequate care, treatment and rehabilitation of sexual offenders are crucial to reduce the impact of sexual offence and re-offending. AIMS: To determine the demographic variations, clinical factors, and observation outcomes in terms of diagnosis, fitness to stand trial, and criminal responsibility among the alleged sexual offenders referred to Thabamoopo Hospital. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of mental disorders among alleged sexual offenders, to determine the number of offenders fit or unfit to stand trial and who are criminal or not criminally responsible, to determine factors associated with vulnerability to sexual offending behaviour. METHOD: This study is based on a review of clinical records and files and psychiatrists' observation reports of all alleged sexual offenders referred by the courts for forensic psychiatric observation between the period January 2015 to December 2018 at Thabamoopo Hospital. RESULTS: The sample consists of 94 participants, only one female; all were black Africans. The majority were in middle adulthood, unemployed, of a lower level of education and not married. All participants had been charged with rape. A large number of the alleged sexual offenders were diagnosed with mental conditions. The most common diagnoses were Intellectual disability disorders, psychotic disorders and substance-related disorders. More than half of the sample was fit to stand trial and criminally responsible. CONCLUSION: More than half of the participants charged with rape were found fit to stand trial and to be criminally responsible. A significant number were diagnosed with mental illness. The outcomes of being unfit to stand trial and not being criminally responsible were common among mentally ill sexual offenders. The results signify that this group of offenders needs adequate psychiatric care, treatment and rehabilitation in order to reduce sexual offending and re-offending due to the impact of mental illness.