Victims Speak: Comparing Child Sexual Abusers’ and Child Victims’ Accounts, Perceptions, and Interpretations of Sexual Abuse

Abstract

This article presents findings from a longitudinal study ¹ that sought to evaluate a treatment program for child sexual abusers. A triangulated methodological approach was adopted drawing upon quantitative and qualitative methodological techniques. The focus here is upon one element of this research. ² Ninety-one in-depth interviews were conducted over a four-year period with a small, nonrandom sample of twenty-one male offenders who had been convicted of sexual offenses against children. All of the men were subject to probation orders with a psychiatric condition (Criminal Justice Act, 1991). One of the aims of this element of the research was to explore the extent to which evidence of denial could be found in offenders’ accounts of offense circumstance and also to explore the extent to which offenders minimized the nature and extent of abuse perpetrated. Offenders’ accounts of offense circumstances were compared to victim statements, and stark differences emerge. These findings have considerable implications for treatment practice with sex offenders, where victims’ perceptions could be used to directly confront offender denial and minimization.

¹The research aimed to explore the effectiveness of a treatment program for offenders which lasted for three years. The research design was structured around the program with interviews and psychometric testing undertaken at key points in time with the same group of respondents.

²The quantitative element of this research will be published shortly but is referred to in the following reports Davidson 2000, 2003 [research funded by the National Probation Service]. Psychometric testing was undertaken over a four-year period with the men attending the treatment program to explore shifts in the extent of denial, blame attribution, and victim empathy over time. Offender cognitive distortions, general health, and self-esteem were also explored via psychometric testing. An interview-administered survey was undertaken with all sex offenders registered with the Probation Service (those on probation and in custody) in order to gather demographic data, and 117 of 150 offenders responded.

Keywords:

• child sexual abuse
• child victims’ accounts
• sex offender denial
• qualitative research
• blame attribution

Notes

¹The research aimed to explore the effectiveness of a treatment program for offenders which lasted for three years. The research design was structured around the program with interviews and psychometric testing undertaken at key points in time with the same group of respondents.

²The quantitative element of this research will be published shortly but is referred to in the following reports Davidson 2000, 2003 [research funded by the National Probation Service]. Psychometric testing was undertaken over a four-year period with the men attending the treatment program to explore shifts in the extent of denial, blame attribution, and victim empathy over time. Offender cognitive distortions, general health, and self-esteem were also explored via psychometric testing. An interview-administered survey was undertaken with all sex offenders registered with the Probation Service (those on probation and in custody) in order to gather demographic data, and 117 of 150 offenders responded.

³“Grooming” involves a process of socialization during which an offender seeks to interact with the victim (and sometimes the victim’s family), to share their hobbies and interests, and to become a part of their life in order to prepare them for abuse. The Home Office defines grooming as “a course of conduct enacted by a suspected paedophile, which would give a reasonable person cause for concern that any meeting with a child arising from the conduct would be for unlawful purposes” (Home Office, 2002). This definition formed the basis of the grooming clause in the Sexual Offences Act 2003. The grooming of a child is often a slow process and certainly a deliberate one. A number of cases involving Internet grooming have been successfully prosecuted under the new legislation.

⁴This is a broad offense category which included different types of offending behavior, ranging from brushing against a child in a public place to enforced oral sex in this sample.

⁵In the United Kingdom the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (2005) published by the Home Office sets out the minimum standards of service that victims of crime are entitled to receive from criminal justice agencies. Children are categorized as “vulnerable” victims and are consequently entitled to an “enhanced service.” The code will become law in the United Kingdom in April 2006. The code affords victims a right to information about their crime within a specified timeframe. Victims’ rights will include: a dedicated family liaison police officer to help bereaved relatives; clear information from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) on eligibility for compensation; the provision of information about victim support, and a referral if sought; an enhanced service in cases of vulnerable or intimidated victims (including children); and the flexibility to opt out of unwanted services.

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