The Context of Child Sexual Offenses

Introduction

Mental health professionals, child protective services, and law enforcement investigators have much to offer each other in better understanding Child Sexual Abuse (CSA), a criminal act that has far-reaching consequences for victim(s), offender(s), and other family members. What can be learned from examining the context in which CSA crimes occur that better prepares both investigators and therapists to do their jobs more effectively?

The Crime (and Crime Scene) of Child Sexual Abuse

There is a growing awareness that CSA is a violent crime that directly impacts the well-being of communities in significant ways. However, unlike other violent crimes, analysis of the crime scene of a CSA case often is not routinely done, unless there is obvious physical evidence of sexual abuse present; there are several reasons:

• Investigations often are not initiated until significant time has lapsed after the crime has occurred, due to the frequently delayed reporting of victims.
• Until recently, CSA crimes have often been thought of as "lesser" crimes that take lower priority from the "major" crimes of violence to adults, drugs, theft, etc.
• Local law enforcement may have limited training and equipment to obtain certain kinds of evidence.

There are several important reasons why the expertise and specialized investigative skills afforded other "major" crimes should also be utilized in CSA cases. It is suggested that law enforcement should routinely consider conducting a crime scene investigation as a matter of course in CSA cases.