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Journal of Family Violence
Published in: Journal of Family Violence 8/2010

01-11-2010 | Original Article

Exploring the Impact of Child Sex Offender Suicide

Authors: Tia A. Hoffer, Joy Lynn E. Shelton, Stephen Behnke, Philip Erdberg

Published in: Journal of Family Violence | Issue 8/2010

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Abstract

This paper explores the issues and widespread impact surrounding child sex offenders (CSO) who commit suicide after learning they are under criminal investigation. This phenomenon, which has received scant attention in the literature, affects family, friends, and victims of offenders who may experience a range of conflicting emotions including anger, guilt, confusion, betrayal, and loss. Involved law enforcement may, likewise, experience a range of complex reactions. Law enforcement personnel are neither trained nor required to assess offenders’ suicidality. However, awareness of how CSOs are impacted by an investigation may mitigate the risk of suicide and enhance operational strategies, including officer safety.
Footnotes
1
Names and other identifying information have been changed.
 
2
In order to maintain consistency and clarity of writing, this article will utilize the male pronoun to reference Child Sex Offenders (CSOs). Though it is reasonable to surmise that there are larger numbers of sexual offenses being committed by female offenders than are documented, females account for less than 5% of adult sex offenders. (Seto 2008).
 
3
Throughout the article, the term Child Sex Offender (CSO) indicates an adult who was being investigated for a sex crime against a child(ren) at the time of his death. The child sex crime(s) included, the receiving, possessing, distributing, or producing of child pornography, traveling to have sex with a minor, or sexually molesting a child(ren). For the CSO’s referenced, there was sufficient evidence seized which met probable cause requirements for a search warrant or arrest. Due to the suicides of the CSOs occurring early in the investigations, the majority of the sample was never convicted.
 
4
“Psychache” is defined as intolerable emotional or psychological pain that can not be terminated by previously utilized coping mechanisms (Shneidman 1993).
 
5
Contact offenses are operationally defined by the BAU as those in which there is physical contact between the minor and the offender or another person, object, or animal that serves as an erotic purpose for the offender.
 
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Metadata
Title
Exploring the Impact of Child Sex Offender Suicide
Authors
Tia A. Hoffer
Joy Lynn E. Shelton
Stephen Behnke
Philip Erdberg
Publication date
01-11-2010
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Family Violence / Issue 8/2010
Print ISSN: 0885-7482
Electronic ISSN: 1573-2851
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-010-9335-3

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