Date of Award
Summer 9-28-2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department/Program
Forensic Psychology
Language
English
First Advisor or Mentor
Elizabeth Jeglic
Second Reader
Gabrielle Salfati
Third Advisor
Sarah DeMarco
Abstract
It is estimated that 10% of Americans will be the victim of a non-contact sex offense in their lifetime. Non-contact sexual offenses include unsolicited exposure to sexual situations, verbal and behavioral sexual harassment, threats, and unsolicited use of a person’s image in a sexual manner. This study will specifically look at exhibitionism, voyeurism, and frotteurism. Historically these sex crimes have been considered nuisance behaviors, however, some recent research suggests that these crimes may negatively impact the victims. This study experimentally examined people’s perceptions of non-contact sex offenses and the type of consequences that should be incurred for these crimes. Further, we examined whether factors such as victim type and crime location may impact these perceptions. Overall we found that victim type did play a significant role in whether or not the participant considered the vignette a sex offense, but location played less of a significant role. These findings are discussed as they pertain to sex offender policy and treatment for non-contact sexual offenses.
Recommended Citation
Gold, Chelsea, "Non-Contact Sex Offenders and Public Perception The Importance of Victim Type and Crime Location" (2017). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/jj_etds/40