WINTRE'S WISHES FOUNDATION:
An Oregon Coalition to End Sexual Abuse


PREVENTION  |  SUPPORT  |  ADVOCACY
"Be The Change"



HOW DO SEX OFFENDERS CONTINUE TO HURT OUR CHILDREN?


Here is what you will find on this page...

SEX OFFENDER PATTERNS  |  CAN SEX OFFENDERS BE CURED?  |  HOW SEX OFFENDERS AVOID GETTING CAUGHT


SEX OFFENDER PATTERNS

  • Sex offenders commit an average of 119.7 separate crimes before they are caught (Weinrott & Saylor, 1998)

  • An average serial child molester may have as many as 400 victims in his lifetime.

    • Men who primarily target girls, abuse 10-20 before being apprehended (CBI, 1992)

    • Men who primarily target boys, abuse 30-50 before being apprehended (CBI, 1992)

  • About 1/3 (26-28%) of molesters abuse both boys and girls. (Abel, 1986 & CBI, 1992)

  • After initial polygraph testing, the average number of admitted victims increased from 2 to 50. (Ahlmeyer et al, 2000)

    • Additional testing increased the number of victims to 110. (Ahlmeyer et al, 2000)

    • The average number of offense admissions increased from 5 at intake, to 234 during the first examination and then to 318 at the second examination of the offender. (Ahlmeyer et al, 2000)


CAN SEX OFFENDERS BE CURED? (Prentky, 1997)

  • 5 years post conviction/release (12% re-offend)

  • 10 years post conviction/release (30% re-offend)

  • 25 years post conviction/release (52% re-offend)

  • Child molesters have an elevated risk of re-offending as they reach their "senior" years (Hanson, 2001)


HOW SEX OFFENDERS AVOID GETTING CAUGHT

Exploiting our fear of "False Allegation"

  • Knowing that all of us are afraid of being "falsely accused"

  • Knowing that none of us want to "falsey accuse" an innocent person

  • For some offenders, the fear surrounding "false allegations" fuels their ability to "get away with it"

  • How many cases of "false accusations" have you personally come in contact with?

Avoiding Discovery by Adults

  • Image or position offsets suspicion

  • Keep non-offending spouse run down, off balance or doubting self

  • Prepare for disclosure

  • If child discloses, talk recipient out of reporting

  • Deny, deny, deny (67%)

  • Bone up on polygraph and plethysmograph testing and prepare for court

"How I avoided getting reported":  Information from sex offenders themselves

  • "I said it was an accident, a mistake or the first time something like this has ever happened."

  • "I told them that I felt terrible about it and would be willing to go to therapy."

  • "I told tem that it would ruin my life/career if they reported me."

  • "I told them it was the child's fault."

  • "I told them I'd been molested as a child."