Introduction
To understand adolescent sex offenders completely depends upon the methods which are used to recognize and take care of adult sex offenders. The very uncommon way of classifying these sex offenders is based upon whom they victimize. The two most familiar groups are rapist and child molester (Eric W. Hickey, 2003).
Rapist
According to the studies of NCJJ (2000) which are mostly done in Britain, United States, Canada and Australia, approximately 20% of all reported rapes are on adult women for which adolescents are responsible. These rapists victimize elderly women that has set a rule of thumb by the law enforcement agencies as ‘the younger the offender, the older the victim’ (Eric W. Hickey, 2003).
The offenders whose victims are adult women are tricky. It has also been observed that these offenders do it to get ‘cooperative’ sex partner. The clear purpose in these kinds of assault will not be specifically sexual at all instead it appears to be the offenders’ taking out their anger or need for control the situation that does not straight warn the relationship with their usual partner (Dennis M. Doren, 2002).
Pedophile and child molester
Cohen and Galynker (2002) investigates that Pedophilia is due to psychiatric disorder which has the symptoms like criminal act. Child molesters are different from Pedophiles as whoever molests a child can be a child molester but a pedophile has a sexual disorder that needs ongoing sexual desires, fantasies, urges. A pedophile needs a treatment which can be with life time follow up (Jerrold S. Greenberg et al, 2007).
Now if we see the difference in the typology between a rapist whose victims are adult women and a pedophile, It becomes the considerable factor in which the assault, which is done by the rapist, is the consequence of performed planning versus opportunistic without any important planning. These rapists seem to create the opportunities (Dennis M. Doren, 2002). Schmidt (2002) discovers that either a man or a woman can be pedophilic but generally men are found to be the offenders (Jerrold S. Greenberg et al, 2007).
Difference in situational and victim related characteristics
Schmidt (2002) further says that the pedophilic’ objects could be boys, girls or both. Their practices can vary from exhibition to penetration. Some of them can have transitory contacts with a series of children and some can have long term relationships. Many of them consider their behaviors toward children but some of them use force and a few become violent. Some researches say that there are sexual agreement between children and adults. According to a theory pedophiles’ give back the feelings of powerlessness by involving in such type of sexual activity from which they get more control than adult relationships allow them (Jerrold S. Greenberg et al, 2007).
Sex offender registration laws
Many identified sex offenders live in the community but they require registration with some information like an offender’s name, photograph, address and criminal offense. Many reports say that the offenders have been threatened, harassed or killed after community being informed about them. Suicidal cases have also been stated. This registration law supports to secure a released offender in a community and can reduce recidivism (Paul S. Appelbaum, 2008).
But if we talk as a whole it is not supportive to the people who have committed sexual offenses. By publicly shaming these offenders it makes them isolated (Paul S. Appelbaum, 2008).
References
Appelbaum, Paul S. (2008), Law & Psychiatry: Sex Offenders in the Community: Are Current Approaches Counterproductive? Psychiatric Services, Psychiatr Serv 59:352-354. Web.
Doren, Dennis M. (2002), Evaluating sex offenders (p.243), London, Sage Publications.
Greenberg, Jerrold S.et al (2007), Exploring the dimensions of Human Sexuality (p.884) Edition: 3, London, Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Hickey, Eric W. (2003), Encyclopedia of murder & violent crime (p.603), London, Sage Publications.