Date of Award
Spring 5-8-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department/Program
Forensic Psychology
Language
English
First Advisor or Mentor
Elizabeth Jeglic
Second Reader
Cynthia Calkins
Third Advisor
Diana Falkenbach
Abstract
In recent years, there has been increased media coverage involving cases of educator sexual misconduct. There has been criticism that the gender of the educator impacts the way that crime has been portrayed in the media, with cases of female-perpetrated educator sexual abuse being sensationalized and minimizing the harm done to victims. This study seeks to explore how and if these gender biases shape the sentencing outcomes in prosecuted cases of educator sexual abuse. Additionally, the study will examine if and how various factors, such as the gender of the perpetrator and the gender of the victim, affect sentencing length. The sample consisted of 660 cases in the United States spanning from 2013 to 2023, documenting factors such as educator and victim age, educator and victim gender, the educational level of the school in which the misconduct occurred, the position of the educator within the institution, the number of victims, as well as the educators' sentencing length. The analysis showed that most educators were male, with more than three-quarters holding positions as general education instructors. The mean age of offenders was 38 years, while the mean age of victims was 14. The mean sentencing length for offenders was significantly different for male educators (M = 18.13, SD = 29.17) than for female educators (M = 3.69, SD = 5.95), with male educators receiving almost five times the length of sentence that female educators did. Results also showed that the number of victims also has a significant effect on the sentencing and punishment of an educator convicted of sexual educator misconduct. These findings will be discussed as they pertain to educator sexual misconduct in Grades K-12 across schools in the United States.
Recommended Citation
El Fituri, Halima, "Sentencing Outcomes in Educator Sexual Misconduct Cases: Factors and Implications" (2024). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/jj_etds/317