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Male Mentally Handicapped Sex Offenders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Kenneth Day
Kenneth Day*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Northgate and Prudhoe NHS Trust, Northgate Hospital, Morpeth, Northumberland NE61 3BP
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Abstract

Background

Sex offences are overrepresented in the mentally handicapped, but information about the characteristics and offence behaviour of this group is limited.

Method

A retrospective case note survey was made of 47 male patients referred for antisocial sexual behaviour.

Results

Of 191 offences and/or incidents committed, 55.5% were heterosexual, 24% indecent exposure, 12.4% homosexual, 13.6% serious and 3.6% involved physical assault. Average age of the offenders was 23.9 years, with a mean IQ of 59.5, and there was a high prevalence of family psychopathology, psychiatric illness, minor physical disabilities, sexual experience, impaired relationship skills and sexual recidivism. Recidivists showed a low specificity for offence type and age and sex of victim. Categorical analysis differentiated a ‘sex offences only’ group from a ‘sex plus other offences’ group in the key areas of psychopathology, offence behaviour and outcome; this was supported by factor analysis.

Conclusion

The finding of two subgroups of mentally handicapped male sex offenders has important implications for prevention, assessment and treatment.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 165 , Issue 5 , November 1994 , pp. 630 - 639
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1994 

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