Against a backdrop of legislative change that sees the taking of private sexual images underneath the clothing of a non-consenting other being made a criminal offence – upskirting – there is a need to understand the public’s judgments of, and motivations to perpetrate said behavior. In this study (N = 490), we investigated whether judgments of upskirting differed as a function of victim sex (male, female) and their perceived attractiveness (attractive, unattractive), as well as how variation in voyeuristic interest, belief in a just world, and psychopathic personality traits predicted judgments of, and proclivity to engage in upskirting behaviors. We consistently observed more lenient judgments of upskirting behaviors when victims were attractive and male, with such judgements predicted by older age across all conditions. Moreover, proclivity to engage in upskirting was predicted by past voyeuristic behaviors, higher psychopathic personality, and being male and of older age. We discuss our findings in the context of needing to qualitatively understand the general public’s rationale for said disparity in judgments, as well as identifying and combating barriers to disclose victimization. Open data and a preprint of this paper are available at https://osf.io/wyt2z/?view_only=ca4ea7b5886b4a52aad67cfd847d7af1.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to compare perceptions of male cisgender and male transgender stalking perpetrators. There present study compared participants' perceptions of whether behaviour constituted stalking, posed a threat, had a risk of violence and required police intervention when the perpetrator was transgender or cisgender. The present study also sought to replicate the prior-relationship misconception in stalking literature and to investigate whether perceptions of transgender perpetrators changed based on the age and gender of the perceiver. Design/methodology/approachParticipants read vignettes outlining the relationship between victim and perpetrator as well as a description of the stalking behaviours. Participants then reported their perceptions of the four dependent variables on Likert-type scales. FindingsThe prior-relationship misconception was replicated. There were no significant differences in perceptions of transgender and cisgender perpetrators across the four dependent variables. There were also no significant differences in perceptions based on the gender of the perceiver. Contrary to expectations, older participants perceived transgender perpetrators as less threatening than younger participants. Research limitations/implicationsThe prior-relationship misconception is robust to gender identity of the perpetrator. The participants in the present study seemed to make judgements based on stalking behaviour and not the gender identity of the perpetrator. Future research should replicate this study with more severe stalking behaviours and with greater variation in gender identity. Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to compare perceptions of cisgender and transgender males in the context of stalking perpetration. There is also consideration of how the demographics of the perceiver could impact these perceptions. This study also contributes to research on the prior-relationship misconception by demonstrating that the misconception is robust to gender identification of the perpetrator.

Pre-sentence psychological assessments of men who have sexually offended can provide useful information regarding an individual's pathway to offending, risk of recidivism, and treatment needs. The outcome of the assessment can be used in court and has implications for the assessee and society at large. This research sought to explore offenders' opinions regarding the clinicians' approach to the assessment, to identify facilitative aspects of the clinicians' style and to understand how accuracy and honesty can be enhanced in these interactions. Six interviews were conducted with sex offenders on completion of a pre-sentence forensic assessment at a private practice. Applying Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, the findings highlighted the relational nature of the assessments, the assessees' feelings of powerlessness, and their perceptions that the interaction helped them personally. The findings and approach advocated for by the assessees are discussed in terms of the associated ethical considerations and practice implications.

Purpose Research into paedophilia mainly uses offender samples; thus, little is understood about non-offending paedophiles. The limited body of research has been conducted in North America or Europe whose health and legal systems differ from those in the UK. Using semi-structured interviews, the purpose of this study is to explore the experience of three non-offending British paedophilic males. Design/methodology/approach The interview discussed their paedophilia, refraining from offending and perspectives on treatment initiatives. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings Three superordinate themes emerged: “paedophilia as more than a sexuality,” “acceptance leads to management” and “barriers to support.” These encapsulated how paedophilia was understood, how accepting one’s sexual attraction is tantamount to well-being and the various obstacles to providing support were discussed. Research limitations/implications Acknowledging the sampling considerations (size and recruitment), the results implicate research into paedophilia. The onset of paedophilia was chronologically associated with typical sexual attraction, and not the result of sexual abuse as some theories suggest. Furthermore, the tenets of attraction to children extending beyond sexual desire were highlighted. Practically, the results influence future research into the area and highlight the dearth in our understanding of diverse behavioural management techniques (i.e. computerised images of children or human-like dolls). Originality/value This paper presents novel insight into the aspects of paedophilia, excluding offensive behaviour and highlights the need for affordable, UK-based services targeted towards people with a paedophilic attraction to manage child sexual abuse preventatively and not reactively.

Men who have sexually offended are often referred for presentence psychological assessments to determine factors which contributed to offending, identify risk of recidivism, and develop treatment recommendations. The accuracy of assessments is largely reliant on the cooperation of the assessee. Despite the significant legal and emotional consequences, how clinicians approach these assessments, attempt to engage assessees, and overcome resistance have not been investigated. This research sought to develop an understanding of the clinicians’ experience of conducting the assessment. How clinicians approach interviews with men who have sexually offended and the techniques they use were explored. Six interviews were conducted with qualified psychologists, at a private practice, whose role included conducting psychological assessments across a range of forensic matters. The findings, reached using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, highlighted the relational/social nature of the interaction and the clinicians’ experience of a somewhat blurred line in practice between forensic assessments and therapeutic endeavours.

ObjectiveThis study is concerned with examining the impact of the extralegal factors of race and gender in attributions of stalking and motivation in examples of heterosexual, low‐level stalking behavior.MethodsA 4 (race pairing of protagonist and target) × 2 (gender pairing of protagonist and target) between‐ participants design, using a vignette incorporating faces of the protagonist and target, asked participants to identify the extent to which they considered the behavior stalking, the motivation for that behavior, and provide responses to measures of racism and sexism.ResultsThe results identify that intraracial behavior is considered more like stalking than interracial behavior, that female‐to‐male behavior is considered more like stalking than male‐to‐female, and that gender and race do not impact on the attributed motivations for the behavior. Both racism and sexism do contribute to attributions of stalking.ConclusionThe influence of race on attributions of stalking mirrors that of findings in other areas of crime and is important in understanding decision making.

Studies concerned with perceptions of stalking have demonstrated that the prior relationship between the stalker and the victim biases decision making in both individual and mock jury situations. These biases tend to benefit ex-partners over strangers yet the reality of stalking is that it is ex-partners who cause more concern and are more dangerous. Previous research demonstrates that one way to overcome this bias during individual decision making is to provide information describing the reasons for the previous relationship breaking down. The current mixed-method study examines the influence of this information on small groups randomly assigned to one of five conditions where the relationship information provided differed and individual and group decisions regarding vignettes of stalking situations were examined. Group decisions and analysis of the deliberations indicated that in small group settings, as with the previous findings for individual decisions, relationship information plays a role in overcoming the ex-partner bias.

PurposeThis research paper reports findings from a qualitative analysis which explored pornography use in secure hospitals. The purpose of this paper is to investigate what attitudes staff working in secure hospital have towards patients having access to pornography, how they make decisions regarding access to pornography and what factors they take into account during this process. This research is an extension of a prior quantitative research study (Mellor and Duff, 2019).Design/methodology/approachThe study utilised a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews to explore professionals’ attitudes towards pornography use in a secure hospital. The sample comprised of six volunteers who had taken part in a previous research study (Mellor and Duff, 2019) requesting to discuss the topic area further. As such this research study was developed. Thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006) was used to analyse the qualitative data and the Attitudes towards Pornography Scale (Evans-DeCicco and Cowan, 2001) was used to collect demographic information.FindingsSix themes were identified from the transcripts. The first theme explores staff members’ attitudes towards pornography. The second relates to the use of boundaries and monitoring of pornography. The third theme looks at the potential impact that pornography could have on the patient, either positive or negative. The fourth theme explores the extent to which patients are still considered as human beings, whereas the fifth theme explores the vulnerabilities that may make patients more at risk of being negatively influenced by pornography. The final theme looks at decision making regarding access to pornography.Practical implicationsThe research offers an insight into how pornography within secure hospitals is managed. The research also provides an exploration into multi-disciplinary team decision making with regard to pornographic material and notes the general openness of staff towards patients having access to pornography.Originality/valueThe findings have important messages for services with regard to policy making. The findings are also relevant for understanding how pornography is managed with in secure hospitals.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the attitudes toward men who have sexually offended (MSO) between the general public and professionals and paraprofessionals in forensic settings. Background: Existing research shows a number of different factors that appear to be important in the development, maintenance, and deterioration of attitudes toward MSO. The exploration of such factors requires further exploration. Method: A convenience sample was used for the cross-sectional study. Five hundred fifty-three participants were recruited from the general public and forensic hospitals, both private and National Health Service. An online version of the Attitudes Towards Sex Offenders scale (Hogue, 1993) was distributed via email and social media. Results: Gender was not found to have any impact on the attitudes individuals held toward MSO. The general public was found to have significantly more negative attitudes when compared with those exposed to MSO at work (professional and paraprofessional staff). Duration of employment did not make attitudes any more or less positive. Conclusion: The clinical and societal implications of the research are important for MSO to reduce risk within forensic establishments and be supported to reintegrate successfully into the community. Without the support from both staff and the general public at each stage of rehabilitation, desistance is less likely to be maintained. Research continues to provide varying results regarding the factors that influence the nature of attitudes toward MSO.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the attitudes of staff members in secure hospitals and the general population towards pornography use and their decision-making regarding access to pornography. Design/methodology/approach A between participants design was used whereby 324 participants, including 162 staff members and 162 people of general population, answered an online questionnaire. Vignettes were presented of six hypothetical patients in a secure hospital, based on gender (male/female) and offence type (sexual/violent/non-offender). Participants were required to decide whether the individual depicted in the vignette should have access to pornography. Finally, participants were given a psychometric assessment of their own attitudes towards pornography. Findings Participants were less likely to decide that the sex offender should have access to pornography than the violent or non-offender, thus the offence type of the patient was a significant predictor. There was a significant relationship between attitudes to pornography and whether the individual in the vignette should be given access to pornography. There was no significant difference between attitudes towards pornography of the general public and staff members or for male and female participants. Gender of the patient described in the vignette was not a significant predictor. Practical implications The research highlights the importance of our own attitudes towards pornography, our possible beliefs about sexual offenders and the effects these may have on decision-making. Originality/value The research determines attitudes towards pornography and explores how attitudes influence decision-making.

There is a basic association between psychopathy and sexual offending, but it is more nuanced and moderated by additional psychological factors that are commonly overlooked. Much of the broader association between psychopathy and offending of all types including sexual deviance relates to psychopathy's general Antagonism. Disproportionately attributing sexual offending to psychopathy belies the many pathways into sexual offending, which is itself a very broad criminological classification, ranging from hands-off, remote offenses to hands-on/contact offenses (rape and sexual assault). Moreover, some aspects of psychopathy are more associated with sexual offending than others; the core traits (affective and interpersonal) are less strongly associated than behavioral and criminal lifestyle facets. Also, concurrent sexual deviation is a key risk-increasing factor, as are emotional–neurotic elements emerging from with secondary psychopathy such as obsessionality and compulsivity.

Background: Exposure to pornography is common, although research examining the use of pornography, and the relationship between exposure to pornography and offending, is contradictory. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine whether there was an association between pornography exposure and sexual offending in males. Method: A comprehensive search of eight electronic databases was undertaken to systematically identify literature relating to pornography and offending. Reference lists of key journals were hand searched and contact was made with experts in the field to identify any unpublished work. A total of twenty-one studies were included in the review and all were assessed using a quality criteria tool adapted from the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP, 2018). Results: From the twenty-one studies included in the review, studies explored pornography use either prior to or during offending. Studies exploring the effects of pornography assessed recidivism, seriousness of the sexual offence and deviant sexual fantasies. The data synthesis indicated that the impact of pornography on offending is not always negative but that it is complex, particularly due to issues related to defining pornography. Conclusion: The review yielded mixed findings largely due to variations in samples and a lack of agreed definitions for pornography. Recommendations are provided regarding the need for more recent longitudinal studies able to capture any possible changes within the pornography literature and its effect on sexual offenders, and the need for studies that provide specific definitions for pornography.

ABSTRACT The present study examines the influence of prior relationship (with contextual information regarding the breakdown of the relationship) and perpetrator-target sex composition on perceptions of relational stalking. The study employed an experimental 7 × 2 independent measures design, and the sample comprised 1,260 members of the community residing in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Participants received one of 14 versions of a hypothetical scenario and responded to scale items concerning the situation described. The situation was perceived to be most serious when the perpetrator was a stranger or a physically violent ex-partner and least serious when the perpetrator was an ex-partner of an unfaithful target. Scenarios involving a male perpetrator and a female victim were also perceived to be more serious than scenarios involving a female perpetrator and a male target. It is apparent therefore that the context of the relationship breakdown and the sex of the perpetrator and target significantly influence perceptions of relational stalking.

Research has demonstrated a range of biases in attributions of stalking, some of which appear to place potential victims at greater risk of physical harm. As yet the issue of physical proximity of a potential stalker to a potential victim has not been examined. Two hundred and ten participants responded to a vignette study depicting different levels of physical proximity of a perpetrator and were asked to provide ratings concerning the level of risk and blame that they attributed to the situation, along with their attribution of perpetrator motivation. The results indicate that proximity influences attributions of risk, whereby closer proximity is identified as more risky. However, proximity does not influence attributions of victim blame nor the identified motivation of the perpetrator. Attributions of risk in relation to proximity appear to correspond with clinical data, where greater proximity is more risky. The findings suggest that it is important to consider how proximity may interact with other aspects of stalking, such as previous relationship, to gain a broader understanding of the nature of attributions of risk.