Assessing Gender Differences and Co-Offending Patterns of a Predominantly "Male-Oriented" Crime: A Comparison of a Cross-National Sample of Juvenile Boys and Girls Arrested for a Sexual Offense

Author: Vandiver, Donna M.

Source: Violence and Victims, Volume 25, Number 2, 2010 , pp. 243-264(22)

Publisher: Springer Publishing Company

Buy & download fulltext article:

Price: $25.00 plus tax (Refund Policy)

Abstract:

This study examines male-female differences of juveniles arrested for a sex offense. A cross-national sample of juvenile boys (n = 177) and a population of juvenile girls (n = 177) arrested for a sex offense are utilized for this analysis. It is hypothesized that (1) boys and girls differ substantially in their offending patterns. Based on Moffitt's social-amplification hypothesis, it is also hypothesized that (2) juveniles who act with a co-offender commit more serious offenses (i.e., more likely to be arrested for rape and have more victims) compared to those who act alone. The results show boys differ from girls: juvenile girls are slightly younger, more likely to be White, more likely to have a co-offender, less likely to commit rape, and be processed formally by law enforcement. The results yielded indicated social amplification appears to occur when girls offend with a co-offender, but not when boys acted with a co-offender.

Keywords: MALE SEX OFFENDER; FEMALE SEX OFFENDER; MOFFITT'S THEORY OF SOCIAL AMPLIFICATION; CO-OFFENDERS

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.25.2.243

Publication date: 2010-04-01

More about this publication?

Violence and Victims discusses theory, research, policy, and clinical practice in the area of interpersonal violence and victimization across such disciplines as psychology, sociology, criminology, law, medicine, nursing, psychiatry, and social work.
Information for Authors
Information for Advertisers
Free Sample Issue
Subscribe to this Journal
ingentaconnect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites