Sex Offenders Not So Concerned About Victims' Looks

Chosun Ilbo (Translation) March 6, 2007

A survey of convicted sex offenders found that they were more concerned about the possibility of nearby CCTV cameras than they were about their victims’ appearances.
According to a doctoral dissertation by Nam Jae-sung of Dongguk University’s Police Administration department, when 272 sex offenders were asked what they were concerned about when committing their crimes, they rated CCTV cameras the most important thing, with an average score of 2.95 out of 4.

The other things they were concerned about, in descending order, were: if the victims had defensive devices (2.85), how often police patrolled the area (2.48), whether public offices like police stations were in close proximity (2.41), and how well the offenders knew the site (2.40). In contrast, the attractiveness of victims was of the least concern, at 1.74. The study also revealed that the offenders did not consider seriously their escape routes (1.83) or the timing of their offenses (2.08).

When it came to location, ninety of the sex offenders or 33.3 percent selected their victims’ homes, followed by 48 offenders or 17.8 percent who said their own place. The majority of their crimes happened between midnight to 6 a.m. (84 or 30.9 percent) and most of their victims were employed in the entertainment industry (54 or 19.9 percent) and were aged between 21 to 25 (84 or 30.9 percent).

Asked whether they had been drinking at the time they committed their crimes, many more said not at all (116 or 42.6 percent) than those who said they drank but were not drunk (58 or 21.3 percent) or those said they drank a very small amount (46 or 16.9 percent). Nam advised women to stay away from areas with few people, CCTV cameras and police patrols, especially at night.

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SeanHayes@ipglegal.com