title: Criminal justice institutional referrals and selections: a comparative portrait of sexual aggressions and aggressors.
abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate the judicial treatment of sex offenders from police detection to treatment centers. Using three different samples, participants' trajectories are studied in the light of their age, the age and sex of their victims, the relationship with their victims, and the use of a weapon. First, the results show that although underrepresented at the federal institution, younger criminals tend to be overrepresented in the treatment sample. Second, the results also demonstrate that offenders against children tend to be overrepresented at the federal institution; this tendency is even stronger in the psychiatric treatment sample. Third, the objective seriousness of the offense, a proxy measured by the presence of a weapon, is of principal importance in case processing throughout the judicial system. Recommendations on how to facilitate the comparison of results from different studies, based on a better sample description, are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, P.O. Box 549110, Waltham, MA 02454, USA. JPGuay@Brandeis.edu
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Guay
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ouimet
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Proulx
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression; D002170:Canada; D003416:Criminal Law / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012725:Sexual Behavior