Sex Offenders with Mental Retardation: Testing Counterfeit Deviance and Neurodevelopmental Explanations of Pedophilia

1. Sex Offenders with Mental Retardation: Testing Counterfeit Deviance and NeurodevelopmentalExplanations of Pedophilia Marnie E. Rice and Grant T. Harris www.mhcp-research.com riceme@mcmaster.ca (in press) Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers, Atlanta, October 24, 2008

2. Sex Offenders with Mental Retardation: Testing Counterfeit Deviance and NeurodevelopmentalExplanations of Pedophilia Counterfeit deviance vs. true sexual deviance as an explanation of child molesting by sex offenders with mental retardation Our study Results Victim choice Phallometric preferences Recidivism Implications

3. Counterfeit deviance hypothesis Sexually deviant behavior by persons with mental retardation due to lack of sexual knowledge, general social and intellectual immaturity, & lack of opportunity, not true sexual preference Evidence: Compared to other sex offenders, those with mental retardation commit more offenses against males commit more offenses against children show less discrimination among victim categories have high levels of sexual naivety, lack of relationship skills, knowledge about normal sexual relationships

4. True sexual deviance hypothesis Offenders with mental retardation commit sex offenses because they have sexually deviant preferences Evidence: Blanchard et al., 1999 Phallometric testing showed that lower levels of intellectual functioning were associated with greater interest in male children and in younger (prepubescent) children

5. Our study All 69 sex offenders with mental retardation (mean IQ of 59) tested in our sexual behavior laboratory over period of 20 years 84% referred from programs for people with mental retardation Matched to 69 sex offenders of IQ =80 Almost all were men admitted to maximum security psychiatric hospital for assessment All were child molesters (not exclusive incest) and/or rapists

6. Key hypotheses Sex offenders with MR would show greater relative preference for children, male children, and young children than controls Phallometric preferences would correlate with victim choice in both groups Sex offenders with MR would have higher VRAG/SORAG scores and rates of sexual recidivism than controls VRAG/SORAG scores would predict recidivism just as well for sex offenders with MR as for controls

7. Most significant group differences on offense history No difference in violent offense, sex offense Participants with MR also had victims in more different age and gender categoriesNo difference in violent offense, sex offense Participants with MR also had victims in more different age and gender categories

8. Phallometric measures Assessments for child molesters 5 different stimulus sets altogether 2 sets visual stimuli only (nudes or partial nudes) 1 set audiovisual stimuli designed specifically for (and administered only to) sex offenders with mental retardation 2 sets aural stimuli (or aural plus visual) Assessment for rapists 1 stimulus set comprising stories about consenting or nonconsenting sex with women, or nonsexual beating of women (Quinsey & Chaplin, 1982) All sets except set for participants with MR had been validated in other studies and shown to discriminate sex offenders from other men and also to predict sexual recidivism 63 participants with MR were tested on 1 of the CM sets (including set 5) 38 control participants were tested on 1 of the CM sets 25 Participants with MR were tested on a rape series 40 controls were tested on a rape seriesAll sets except set for participants with MR had been validated in other studies and shown to discriminate sex offenders from other men and also to predict sexual recidivism 63 participants with MR were tested on 1 of the CM sets (including set 5) 38 control participants were tested on 1 of the CM sets 25 Participants with MR were tested on a rape series 40 controls were tested on a rape series

9. More about phallometric data Different proportions of participants in each group given each test No subjects dropped due to low responding Responses were recorded in mm penile circumferential expansion, then later transformed to z scores Deviant age preference index (zChild-zConsenting) Preference for particular age-gender categories Child-related coercion index (Also�Preference for males� index= zMales-zFemales) Rape index (zRape-zConsenting) Maximum deviance index

10. Data analyses For age preference stimuli, first analyzed each stimulus set separately Found stimulus set designed specifically for sex offenders with mental retardation did not yield deviance indices as deviant as other sets-dropped it Other sets were not all equal in mean deviance index and were given to different numbers of participants in each group

11. Data analyses So calculated deviance indices 2 ways- Using just stimulus set given to most participants (20 with MR, 29 comparisons) Using each participant�s most deviant of all stimulus sets he was administered (56 with MR, 38 comparisons) Results very similar

12. Phallometric Age Testing: Set 1 All Subjects tested on same stimulus set Pubescent stimuli were early pubescentsAll Subjects tested on same stimulus set Pubescent stimuli were early pubescents

13. Phallometric Age Testing: All sets Preference index for: Participants with MR Mean SD Controls Mean SD Children +.91 1.0 +.13 1.4 Boys +.37 1.1 -.50 1.3 Boys<5 -.24 1.1 -.92 1.1 Girls +.53 1.1 -.05 1.4 Girls<5 -.18 1.0 -.91 1.2 Males +.23 1.2 -.85 1.3 Preference index for: Participants with MR Mean SD Controls Mean SD Children +.91 1.0 +.13 1.4 Boys +.37 1.1 -.50 1.3 Boys<5 -.24 1.1 -.92 1.1 Girls +.53 1.1 -.05 1.4 Girls<5 -.18 1.0 -.91 1.2 Males +.23 1.2 -.85 1.3

14. Phallometric testing: Activity 25 Participants with MR were tested on some rape test, but only 13 on set6 Vs. 40 controls25 Participants with MR were tested on some rape test, but only 13 on set6 Vs. 40 controls

15. Other phallometric results: No between-groups difference in preference for coercive sexual activities with children Preference for males index: Sex offenders with MR had significantly higher scores using all tests Maximum deviance index: Both groups preferred deviant over consenting Sex offenders with MR significantly more deviant

16. Phallometric age preferences and victim choice Phallometric preferences were related to victim choice: Within each group, those with a male victim <13 had more deviant boy-related preferences than those with only girl victims (and vice versa - i.e. those with a female victim<13�)

17. Summary of phallometric results Compared to controls, participants with MR Had more deviant age preferences Had greater preference for prepubertal boys (and girls) Had greater preference for boys (and girls) under 5 Supports true deviance hypothesis, not counterfeit deviance

18. Recidivism (Charges) MR: 25% and 19%, vs for controls, 61% and 45%--Note: not time at risk.MR: 25% and 19%, vs for controls, 61% and 45%--Note: not time at risk.

19. VRAG/SORAG scores and violent recidivism N�s are very small for MR groupN�s are very small for MR group

20. Why might men with MR and pedophilia be more sexually deviant than other men with pedophilia? Evidence that neurodevelopmental disruption is a cause for pedophilia: Compared with other men, men with pedophilia differ in IQ Height Handedness Childhood head injuries Hypothesized that fraternal birth order would be correlated with preference for males and male children

21. Birth order findings Fraternal birth order was correlated with preference for boys and preference for males Results were stronger for comparison participants than for participants with MR Results consistent with idea that pedophilia is a neurodevelopmental disorder

22. Implications For assessment Sex offenders with MR may be of high risk, especially to children, and warrant complete assessments of sexual preferences and risk For treatment and supervision Deviant age preferences Supervise when around children

23. Summary & Conclusions Sex offenders with mental retardation are more likely to target children <13, male children<13 and children <5 than other sex offenders on average, preferred sex with children over sex with adults show more sexual interest than other sex offenders in males, prepubescent children, and children<5 Results consistent with view that sex offenders with MR have real sexual deviance and that pedophilia is a neurodevelopmental disorder