Sex Offenders and Sex Offending

The prevalence of victimization by sex offenders in the Netherlands is comparable to that of other European countries. For 100 years, there have been major fluctuations in prosecutions for sexual acts against minors. prosecution and sentencing patterns have been fairly stable in recent years. The likelihood that a prosecuted case results in a sanction has in creased considerably for cases involving sexual assault or offenses against minors because relatively more cases are sent on for trial. Treatment modalities are varied. Almost half of convicted offenders enroll in ambulatory treatment. Most victims are (very) young and female. Offenders are almost all male. Much sex offending takes place within the family. Perpetrators tend to be opportunistic and not to specialize in sex offending. Recidivism to a sex offense is much lower than to other offenses. There have been many studies on special subgroups of dangerous sex offenders. Among juveniles, group sex offenders are a significant subgroup. There have been few broad studies on the etiology of sex offending or on risk factors. There have been no studies on treatment effectiveness, though there is a clear association between the risk of recidivism and failure of treatment.