Public attitudes toward sex offenders and their relationship to personality traits and demographic characteristics

Abstract

The present study examined public attitudes toward the sentencing, treatment, management, and perceived dangerousness of sex offenders. Seventy-eight university undergraduates completed a 25-item attitude toward sex offenders survey developed for the present study, along with a five-factor measure of personality (NEO Personality Inventory - Revised), a demographic questionnaire, and the Paulhus Deception Scale, to control for social desirability. While participants most frequently endorsed the belief that sentences were not sufficiently severe, they tended to espouse treatment and risk management alternatives to longer sentences and eschewed exceptionally severe punishments (e.g., surgical castration). Participants estimated high rates of sexual recidivism (59%), although they also estimated significantly lower recidivism rates for treated offenders. Results of a principle components analysis suggested that participant attitudes comprised two broad domains: systems attitudes (e.g., law enforcement, corrections, justice) and rehabilitative attitudes. Although few demographic differences emerged in participant attitudes, 'openness to experience' and 'agreeableness' each significantly predicted more rehabilitative attitudes, while contrary to expectations, 'extraversion' was significantly associated with more negative systems-related attitudes. The results provide support that personality traits may be linked to important social attitudes, including those toward sex offenders.

Assessment of public attitudes towards sex offenders in an Australian population

“…In relation to age, Brown et al (2008) and Olver and Barlow (2010) found that it had no significant influence on attitudes. Although Brown (1999) did report that participants aged between 30 and 49 held the least support for having a sex offender treatment centre located in their neighbourhood.…”

“…The existing literature on attitudes towards sex offenders is summarised in Table 1, with the literature strongly suggesting that public attitudes towards sex offenders are generally negative. The public also appear to endorse a range of myths about sex offenders, including the notion that there are high rates of offences perpetrated by strangers, that re-offence rates are very high, and that many sex offenders were themselves previous victims of sexual abuse (see Craun & Theriot, 2009;Fortney, Baker, & Levenson, 2009;Olver & Barlow, 2010). The public are shown to generally lack knowledge regarding base-rate recidivism and prevalent characteristics of offenders (Burchfield, 2012;Marteache, 2012), as well as about the positive effects of sex offender treatment (Brown, 1999;Fortney, et al, 2009).…”

“…There have, for example, been mixed results regarding how sex influences attitudes, with a number of studies finding that females generally view sex offenders more negatively than males (Beck & Travis, 2004;Brown, Deakin, & Spencer, 2008;Kernsmith et al, 2009). Other studies, however, have reported no significant differences between sexes (Olver & Barlow, 2010;Rogers, Hirst, & Davies, 2011;Sahlstrom & Jeglic, 2008).…”

Applying moral foundations theory to understanding public views of sexual offending

“…This conservative/liberal distinction, however, does not appear to be so clear in relation to responses to sexual offending. That is, these groups have been found to both endorse broadly similar levels of support for punitive measures directed at sexual offenders (Mears et.al, 2008;Olver & Barlow, 2010). …”

Social Work Values and Principles: Students' Experiences in intervention with Children and Youths in Detention

“…Offenders and specifically sex offenders may be regarded with fear and disgust (MacRitchie & Leibowitz, 2010;Olver & Barlow, 2010), often aggravated by the sensational media portrayal of offending, prisons and victims (Scott et al, 2006;Varma, 2006). Scott et al (2006) also mention attitudes about race as a factor that contributes to fear of youth offenders.…”