Victim Crossover Index Offending Patterns and Predictors in a Portuguese Sample

Area of Science:

• Forensic Psychology
• Criminology

Background:

• Crossover offending, involving victims of differing age, gender, or relationship types, is associated with increased victim counts and sexual recidivism.
• Understanding the prevalence and predictors of crossover offending is crucial for risk assessment and intervention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of crossover index offending among incarcerated sex offenders in Portugal.
• To identify sociodemographic and criminological variables that predict crossover offending.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of official records from 247 male individuals incarcerated for sex offenses in Portugal.
• Focus on offenders with multiple victims (n=94) to assess victim crossover characteristics.
• Utilized comparative statistics and logistic regression analyses.

Main Results:

• Among offenders with multiple victims, 48% exhibited age crossover, 10% gender crossover, and 12% relationship crossover (intrafamilial/extrafamilial).
• Identified specific variables distinguishing non-crossover from crossover offenders and predicting crossover offending.
• Prevalence rates may be underestimates due to data limitations.

Conclusions:

• Crossover offending is a notable phenomenon within the Portuguese incarcerated sex offender population.
• The study provides insights into predictors of crossover offending, aiding in risk assessment.
• Findings contribute to a better international understanding of victim crossover in sex offenses.