Pornography and sexual offences

A total of 279 men were asked about their purchase of erotic magazines, rental of videos and attendance at erotic movies. There were 131 sex offenders and 50 community controls from Alberta and 97 sex offenders from Ontario. In line with results from previous commissions on the subject, community volunteers reported greater exposure to erotica than sex offenders but there were no group differences in regular use of erotica. There were also no group differences in the types of erotica to which the respondents were exposed. The adult female was the main subject of materials to which most men had been exposed. An examination of age, education, intelligence, admission to the offense, and validity scales of the MMPI showed that the best predictor of erotica use was lower intelligence. Of the 15% of sex offenders against children who used erotic materials in their offence, conventional adult female erotica was used, usually to stimulate the child's curiosity. Theories of erotica use in sex offences and methods of study are reviewed.