Where do sex crimes occur? How an examination of sex offense location can inform policy and prevention

Bibliographic Data

ID6192607
AuthorsCynthia Calkins (0000-0003-0801-5488, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, corresponding author), Niki Colombino (John Jay College of Criminal Justice), Taiki Matsuura (John Jay College of Criminal Justice), Elizabeth L Jeglic (0000-0002-4870-2269, John Jay College of Criminal Justice), Elizabeth Jeglic
Year2015
Volume39
Issue2
Pages99-112
Publication date2015-04-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0192-4036 • E-ISSN: 2157-6475
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01924036.2014.973047
OpenAlexW1995483000
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited37

Although ample evidence demonstrates that sex crime policies focused on “stranger danger” types of offenses that occur in public places do little, if anything, to reduce sex crime, we have much less data with which to inform primary prevention strategies. Using archival data collected from the files of 1468 sex offenders, this study provides empirical data on offense location and how it varies by victim–offender relationship. Though 4% of cases occurred in areas normally restricted by residence restrictions or child safety zone legislation, only 0.05% of the offenses were perpetrated by a stranger against a minor victim in a restricted location. By providing narrative descriptions of the types of sex crimes that occur in child-dense locations, this study provides a richer and more contextualized notion of the nature of risk in public-restricted locations. Given the infrequent occurrence of sex crimes in child-dense locations, it is argued that tertiary sex crime prevention efforts ought to focus on where sex crimes most frequently occur (i.e., in the home and by known perpetrators) and that resources be shifted to primary prevention

Crime prevention · Criminology · Legislation · Political science · Residence · Sex offender · Sociology · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Demography · Law · Psychology · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending

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