Title: Chapter 3: Sex Offender Typologies | Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking
Headings: Chapter 3: Sex Offender Typologies
Chapter 3: Sex Offender Typologies
by Dominique A. Simons
Findings
Introduction
Summary of Research Findings
Traditional Typologies
Child Sexual Abusers
Differences Between Child Sexual Abusers and Rapists
Pedophilic and Nonpedophilic Distinction
Types of Child Sexual Abusers
Victim Characteristic Distinction
Rapists
Rapists and Violent Offenders
Types of Rapists
Female Sexual Offenders
Internet Offenders
Limitations of Traditional Typologies: Crossover Offending
Recent Advances in the Development of Sexual Offense Patterns
Developmental Histories of Sexual Offenders
Child Sexual Abusers
Rapists
Crossover Offenders
Female Sexual Offenders
Attachment
Etiological Theory
Self-Regulation Model
Specialist vs. Generalist Model
Summary
Notes
References

Content: the degree to which these clinical issues are evident varies among individual offenders (Gannon, Terriere & Leader, 2012; Ward & Gannon, 2006). Indeed, this heterogeneity challenges effective risk management and treatment of offenders (Martinez-Catena, Redondo, Frerich & Beech, 2016). Overall, traditional typologies have demonstrated considerable problems, as indicated by inadequate definitions and inconsistent research findings. In addition, most of the typologies have failed to address treatment issues and to predict recidivism (Camilleri & Quincy, 2008; Knight & Prentky, 1990). ( For information on "Adult Sex Offender Recidivism," see Chapter 5 in the Adult section.) This section reviews the most frequently used and empirically tested sex offender typologies for child sexual abusers, rapists, female offenders and internet sexual offenders. Child Sexual Abusers
Finkelhor (1984) provides the most comprehensive definition of child sexual abuse: Child sexual abuse is the use of force/coercion of a sexual nature either when the victim is younger than age 13 and the age difference between the victim and the perpetrator is at least five years, or when the victim is between 13 and 16 and the age difference between the victim and perpetrator is at least 10 years.