Unmasking the Men Who Produce Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM): Criminal Diversity and Sociodemographic Characteristics.

Abstract

Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) production poses a grave and evolving threat, causing revictimization through the circulation of material for years. The availability of online technology has enabled sophisticated methods of CSAM production and police evasion. The aims of this study were to explore the sociodemographic features of those with a history of CSAM production, explore criminal sub-types of those who produce CSAM, and explore the sociodemographic and criminal features of possible sub-types. Men who came to police attention for CSAM production offenses between 2004-2019 in Victoria, Australia (n = 741) were included. A hierarchical cluster analysis revealed two distinct criminal profiles: (1) a group with specialist offense histories, which were sexually focused (n = 455) and (2) a group with a generalist (n = 286) offending history, including sexual and non-sexual offenses. The frequency of CSAM production offenses across the sample period almost doubled with an increasing number of individuals with a generalist criminal history coming to the attention of police, whilst the number of those with a specialist criminal history remained largely stable. Uncovering these two distinct criminal profiles is a pivotal step toward understanding the nuanced characteristics of individuals responsible for producing CSAM.