Online child sexual exploitation: An investigative analysis of offender characteristics and offending behavior

Abstract The Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) III – Crimes Against Children analyzed 251 resolved FBI online child sexual exploitation investigations which included possessing, distributing, or producing child pornography, traveling to have sex with a minor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aggression and violent behavior 2016-09, Vol.30, p.15-23
Main Authors: Shelton, J, Eakin, J, Hoffer, T, Muirhead, Y, Owens, J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abused children
Applied behavior analysis
Child abuse & neglect
Child pornography
Child sex offenders
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual exploitation
Comorbidity
Contact sexual offending
Exploitation
Internet
Law enforcement
Marital status
Multiculturalism & pluralism
Offenders
Offending
Pornography
Psychiatry
Sex crimes
Sex offenders
Sexual abuse
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Summary:Abstract The Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) III – Crimes Against Children analyzed 251 resolved FBI online child sexual exploitation investigations which included possessing, distributing, or producing child pornography, traveling to have sex with a minor, and/or contact offending against a child(ren). Analysis revealed that the all male convenience sample was predominately Caucasian with relative diversity in age, occupation, and marital status. The majority did not have a prior criminal arrest history. In addition many offenders exhibited a pattern of behavior involving both child pornography material and/or contact offending indicative of their sexual preference for children. The co-occurrence of offending behaviors among this sample is consistent with the characteristics of the preferential child sex offender, a sub-type of an investigative model initially developed by the FBI in the early 1980s. The authors highlight the motivations and behaviors among individuals who sexually abuse children, and how distinctions can impact the investigations and prosecutions of these types of offenders.
ISSN:1359-1789
1873-6335
DOI:10.1016/j.avb.2016.07.002