Why Study the Characteristics of Child Sexual Exploitation Offenders?
George Tsagaris, PhD; Lara Christensen, PhD & Jesse Bach, PhD | September 23 | 10:15-11:15 AM
Topic: Legal, Research | Knowledge Level: Advanced
Given the international nature of offenses about child sexual exploitation material (CSEM), the current presentation highlights the importance of conducting a comparative analysis of this offending group across the Australian and U.S. federal court jurisdictions. The researchers note that compared with the literature on victims of child exploitation, limited research has explored the characteristics of CSEM offenders. Further, little research has explored the messages delivered by the judiciary during sentencing regarding CSEM offenses. Exploring this data source offers substantive information about the offender, victim, and broader community and offers insight into the harmfulness of the crime. The objectives of this presentation are to: (1) identify any differences in the demographic characteristics of the cases (e.g., age, race, occupation, ethnicity), (2) explore the differences in the messaging of judicial sentencing remarks, and (3) obtain a deeper understanding on the characteristics of CSEM offenders and explore the censure sentencing judiciary impart. This presentation is an extension of the earlier studies conducted by the presenters in their respective jurisdictions and will discuss the current literature, which draws from the two prior studies to present hypothesized results and implications. This presentation should further contribute to an international perspective about both the characteristics of this offending group and the judicial censure delivered. In turn, the information within this presentation can be used to develop a more global holistic approach for preventing and treating CSEM offenses. This research is a valuable resource across multiple disciplines such as psychology, social work, criminology, law enforcement, and the legal professions.
Presentation Objectives:
· Identify differences in the demographic characteristics of the cases
· Explore differences in the messaging of judicial sentencing remarks
· Provide a deeper understanding on the characteristics of CSEM offenders
· Explore the censure sentencing judiciary impart