Sexual Offender

A person who commits a crime of a sexual nature against another person. For example, forcible rape, statutory rape, and child sexual assault are types of sexual offending. Four different categories of sexual offenders have been classified by the MTC: R3 (Knight & Prentky, 1987). The pervasively angry rapist, also referred to as the anger retaliation type, can be characterized by aggression and violence. The attack lacks sexual arousal, and the victim is often mutilated as genital parts are cut, torn, or bitten. The motivation for the attack is primarily anger. Nonsadistic rapists, on the other hand, assault a person because of sexual arousal or motivation. While aggression may be part of the assault, the main attack is motivated to demonstrate the sexual prowess of the offender. Nonsadistic rapists are frequently described as shy and lonesome people who may not be socially adept. The sexually motivated rapist displays both sexual and aggressive motivations in his attacks. The offender believes that the victim enjoys being assaulted and that resistance to the assault is a game. This category of offender often displays antisocial behavior from an early age. The fourth category of offender is the impulse-opportunistic rapist, who assaults a person because the situation presents itself. That is, the assault may be committed within the context of another offense, such as a burglary. For more information, see Knight and Prentky (1987).