SEX OFFENDERS VS. CHILDREN: CRIMINALITY
The juvenile criminal records of the offenders vs. children reveal nothing noteworthy. Indeed, these offenders are not an especially criminal group and not until age twenty-six had even half of them ever been convicted for any sort of offense, whereas half of the prison group had been convicted by age twenty. The average age at the first conviction was a late twenty-seven, which is exceeded only by the incest offenders, and the average age at their first offense vs. children was a late thirty-four.
In addition to a rather belated criminality, these men tend to be predominantly sex offenders to a greater degree than most: about two thirds of all their convictions were for sex offenses, and nearly three fifths of the men had no convictions other than for sex offenses. Consequently, while other offenders were being given light sentences for minor offenses, a larger number of offenders vs. children were being dealt with more severely because their offenses were sexual.
There were not quite two sex offenses per offender; if these men committed an offense other than one against a female child, it was usually against a female minor, or it was exhibition. The offenders were moderately recidivistic: one fourth had two such convictions, 16 per cent three, one fifth had four to six, and 8 per cent had seven or more.
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