Female Sex Offenders Essay

537 Words2 Pages

Being sexually abused can have a huge impact on an individuals life. Victims are often left physically, mentally and emotionally damaged. A major issue when dealing with female sex offenders is the report of crimes, particularly when male victims are involved. “A variety of factors have been found to influence decisions to formally report sexual assault, including severity of the crime, injury, relationship to the offender, and anticipated reactions from others” (Wyatt and Newcomb 1990; Arata 1998; Smith et al. 2000; Felson and Paré 2005 as cited by Hlavka 2014). According to the Center for Sex Offender Management Sexual (2007) incidents involving female perpetrators are less likely to be reported and/or not pursued by law enforcement officers for many different reasons. As mentioned before, some societies associate sex offenders, molestation and rape with males, while females are usually viewed as nurturing or motherly. “Misperceptions also exist about the ability of women to sexually victimize males, with some believing that males are incapable of being physically aroused if they are unwilling participants (Anderson & Struckman-Johnson, 1998; Hislop, 2001 as cited by Center …show more content…

Several factors are usually considered when determining sentencing such as state laws, severity of offense, and offenders criminal background. Depending on several circumstance, judges usually have discretion on whether the defendant should serve their sentence on probation, jail or prison. However, according to New York State Sex Offender Registry, once convicted of a registrable offense or attempt to commit a registrable offense, individuals are required by law to register as a sex offender. While some might have no problem finding a male offender on any sex offender registry, finding a female on these site tends to be a

More about Female Sex Offenders Essay

Open Document