Introduction

Abuse and offending

What might the connections be between being sexually abused as a child, and becoming an offender? And why should understanding the connections be important? For many reasons: because earlier protection from abuse might make many of these survivors less likely to commit crimes, protecting future victims; because reactions to child sexual abuse (CSA) trauma might explain ‘meaningless’, even fatal, violence, increasing the urgency of earlier therapeutic support which might save lives; because all CSA survivors, whatever they have done, deserve help to reduce the effects of their trauma; because many young offenders might be enabled to change their lives; and because most offender services and penal institutions remain very poorly equipped to meet – or even to recognise – the needs of sexually abused prisoners.

Most male and female survivors of sexual abuse do not offend. It's very important to stress that. However, very many convicted offenders have sexual abuse histories.

Research has shown that sexually abused young people have higher risks of offending than non-abused young people (Dembo et al, 1992; Jumper, 1995; Tyler, 2002; Levy, 2004; Johnson et al, 2006; Fergusson et al, 2008). CSA is an independent risk factor for offending (Swanston et al, 2003; Feiring et al, 2007; Felson and Lane, 2009; Duke et al, 2010). Abuse histories are strongly associated with substance misuse – which can itself involve users in illegal activities. Sexually abused boys and men are many times more likely than non-abused ones to report the early use of alcohol and illicit drugs (Eley Morris et al, 2002; Simpson and Miller, 2002; Dube et al, 2005; Nelson, 2009). However, the possible risks of sexually abused young people becoming perpetrators of sexual assault (see Chapter Ten) have attracted much the greatest research interest.