Published In
Child Abuse & Neglect
Document Type
Pre-Print
Publication Date
10-28-2024
Subjects
Child sex offenders, Criminology
Abstract
Background
Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a significant public health problem, with a small but important subset of crimes committed by strangers, often facilitated through luring. Understanding the characteristics of individuals who engage in luring is essential for developing effective prevention and intervention strategies.
Objective
This study aimed to analyze the demographic characteristics and criminal histories of individuals convicted of luring a minor and to examine the types of crimes committed before and after conviction.
Participants and setting
The study included all individuals (N = 115) convicted of “luring a minor” between 2011 and 2021 in one county in Oregon.
Methods
The study used demographic data and frequencies to provide an overview of who is being convicted of luring and what other crimes they have committed prior and after their conviction.
Results
Most were male (97.39 %), White (70.43 %), and the average age at first arrest was 33.06 years. Before conviction, 35.65 % had prior arrests, with assault (34.15 %) and probation violations (24.39 %) being most common. After conviction, 98.26 % were rearrested, with luring (60.34 %) and online sexual corruption (41.38 %) being the most frequent charges. Crimes against children were the most prevalent type of crime.
Conclusions
This study provides valuable insights into the characteristics and criminal histories of individuals convicted of luring minors. The high prevalence of child-related crimes after conviction, including progression to commercial sexual exploitation and child sex trafficking, underscores the need for comprehensive interventions, robust monitoring, and ongoing community education to prevent further harm to children. Future research should replicate this study across different jurisdictions to identify regional differences, examine the relationship between jurisdictional definitions and crime patterns, and evaluate the effectiveness of various supervision and monitoring strategies in reducing recidivism among those convicted of luring.
DOI
10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.107118
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/42713
Citation Details
Diamond-Welch, B., Kosloski, A. E., Carey, C., & McDade, M. (2024). The crime of luring a minor for contact sexual abuse: Exploration of demographic patterns & criminal records of convicted offenders. Child Abuse & Neglect, 158, 107118.
Description
This is the author manuscript subsequently accepted for publication by Elsevier.
The definitive version can be found here. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.107118/