This paper deals with sex offenses and sex offenders, detailing a variety of sexual activities, noting that ôall sexual crimes are considered deviant acts, but not all sexually deviant acts are crimesö (Ellis & Walsh, 540). There is such a variety of sexual offenses and sexual offenders that they do not really all belong in a single class. The public image of the sex offender is extremely negative, and sexual offenders are regarded and treated as sexual psychopaths, often being committed after serving their sentence. Furthermore, they must register as sex offenders with local law enforcement agencies.
Forcible rape is defined as ôthe carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her willö (Ellis & Walsh, 541). Precise rape figures are the most difficult crime rates to obtain, but approximately half of all rapes are committed by someone known to the victim, and 20% of the offenders are armed (Ellis & Walsh, 542). Compared internationally, the U.S. rape rate is four times higher than in Germany, thirteen times higher than in Britain, and twenty times higher than in Japan (Ellis & Walsh, 542). In Egypt, which has a population of 54 million, only three rapes were reported to INTERPOL in 1992 (Ellis & Walsh, 542).
The data available on rapists is derived from those that have been caught and convicted and indicates that about 75% of rapists are under 30, and about 80% are unemployed or blue-collar workers; only 20% have a high school education or better (Ellis & Walsh, 542). About 56% are white, and 41% are African American, with the rest classified as other races (Ellis & Walsh, 542). Most convicted rapists have previous criminal convictions, some have prior rape convictions, and one-third have been previously convicted of other violent crimes (Ellis & Walsh, 542). There is a distinction between stranger rapists and date rapists, with stranger rapists being younger and having more serious criminal histories, as well...