title: Demographic and Motivation Differences Among Online Sex Offenders by Type of Offense: An Exploration of Routine Activities Theories.
abstract: This article presents an analysis of the relationship between online sexual offenders' demographic background and characteristics indicative of motivation and offense type. Specifically, we investigate whether these characteristics can distinguish different online sexual offender groups from one another as well as inform routine activity theorists on what potentially motivates perpetrators. Using multinomial logistic regression, this study found that online sexual offenders' demographic backgrounds and characteristics indicative of motivation do vary by offense types. Two important implications of this study are that the term "online sexual offender" encompasses different types of offenders, including some who do not align with mainstream media's characterization of "predators," and that the potential offender within routine activity theory can be the focus of empirical investigation rather than taken as a given in research.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Sociology and Political Science , Tennessee Technological University , Cookeville , Tennessee , USA.
authors.forename: Jordana N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.affiliation: b Department of Sociology , University of Central Florida , Orlando , Florida , USA.
authors.forename: Jana L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Jasinski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D057237:Criminals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Internet sex crimes; offender/perpetrator; sexual abuse; theoretical issues