Sexual Violence

This article reviews the assumptions underlying sex offender legislation and discusses the incidence, prevalence, and causes of sex offending. The current sex offender legislation assumes that sex offenders are a homogeneous group who exhibit similar offending patterns irrespective of their type. It shows the importance of assessing the degree to which these assumptions comport to empirical information available about sex offenders and sex crimes. The trends in sex offending and victimization are summarized. Recidivism information is reviewed here in terms of general reoffending, sex offenders' general reoffending rates as compared to those for non-sexual offenders, and comparisons of general and sexual reoffending across several sex offender types. Several factors that contribute to criminal offenders' behavior, including those of a sociological, psychological, and biological nature are discussed. Finally, this article mentions that sex offending is a reprehensible behavior with long-lasting consequences for victims and needs to be managed, controlled, and prevented.