Attitudes towards sexual offenders: what do we know, and why are they important?

Harper, CA ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3172-0129, Hogue, TE and Bartels, RM, 2017. Attitudes towards sexual offenders: what do we know, and why are they important? Aggression and Violent Behavior, 34, pp. 201-213. ISSN 1359-1789

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Abstract

Over the past two decades, a large body of research on attitudes towards sexual offenders has been conducted across a number of different contexts. However, there has been less discussion of their implications. Clinically, attitudes may be related to therapeutic climates and treatment outcomes and risk judgments, while in the social context, the views of the public about sexual offenders may play a key role in the reintegration of these offenders, and the political responses associated with sexual offending. Sexual crime is advocated as a public health issue, with attitudes towards the perpetrators of such offenses being of critical importance when rying to create a social environment within which to successfully reduce rates of sexual offending. In this article, the research evidence currently available in this area is reviewed. An analysis of the conceptualization and measurement of attitudes towards sexual offenders is provided, before the existing literature on the factors underlying such attitudes is explored. Following this, the malleability of attitudes towards sexual offenders is examined. The review concludes with some suggestions for future theoretical, empirical, and practical advancements in this important area.

Item Type:	Journal article
Alternative Title:	Attitudes towards sexual offenders [running head]
Publication Title:	Aggression and Violent Behavior
Creators:	Harper, C.A., Hogue, T.E. and Bartels, R.M.
Publisher:	Elsevier
Date:	May 2017
Volume:	34
ISSN:	1359-1789
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1016/j.avb.2017.01.011 DOI S1359178917300265 Publisher Item Identifier
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	23 Jan 2017 12:19
Last Modified:	20 Jul 2018 03:00
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/29920

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