Offender–Victim Interactions in Serial Sexual Offending: A Behavioral Approach Using Descriptive Statistical Analysis

Abstract

This paper uses a descriptive behavioral analysis to present a study of the offending behavior of 34 serial rapists. All offenders were males adjudicated for committing sexual assaults upon two or more victims. Since no experimental control was feasible to be applied, an individual data analysis of the information contained in the offenders’ case files is made. The fundamental procedure consists of (a) categorizing and representing the behaviors performed by offenders and victims; (b) calculating different linear estimation indexes; (c) representing the distribution of the offenders’ behavioral topographies; and (d) calculating the asymmetry index of such distribution. Results mainly show that (a) offenders’ behavior was flexible and developed novel topographies as the number of victims enlarged; and (b) the most aversive events for offenders were screaming and the appearance of unknown people during the attacks. Implications for prevention and treatment as well as for criminal profiling are discussed.