Unsolved cases of sexual assault involving children : An analysis of the commission process

Abstract

Sexual assaults involving children are one of the most serious kinds of aggression, but, despite the significant human and monetary resources available to police, some of these crimes remain unsolved. A non-discretionary perspective suggests that individuals who commit such crimes may adopt specific behaviors that increase their chances of avoiding detection. This study explores the role of an individual's choices and behavior (i.e., selecting victims who display certain characteristics, choosing particular kinds of places in which to commit crimes, the characteristics of the crime, and strategies adopted specifically to avoid arrest) on the resolution of the crime (i.e., solved or unsolved). The research is based on a sample of 309 cases of the rape of a child (200 solved and 109 unsolved) in France between 1982 and 2015. The sample was restricted to victims aged less than 16 years old who did not know their perpetrator at the time of the offense. Bivariate and multivariate analyses indicate that certain victim characteristics (e.g., victim was unsupervised), crime location characteristics (e.g., encounter, crime, and release of the victim took place at the same location), and offender behavior (e.g., range of sexual acts ; strategy of approach) affected whether or not the crime was solved by police. This study also shows that most child abusers do not use explicit strategies to avoid police detection. The theoretical and practical implications of understanding criminal behavior and criminal investigation are discussed.