An Exploratory Study of Internet-Initiated Sexual Offenses and the Chat Room Sex Offender: Has the Internet Enabled a New Typology of Sex Offender?

TLDR

Chat room sex offenders pose a significant clinical challenge because no live victim is present. The study seeks to hypothesize that these offenders use online chat rooms as a primary social and sexual outlet and to develop a tentative typology of subtypes that warrants replication. The exploratory study examined 51 participants convicted of Internet‑initiated sex offenses who attempted to entice adolescents via chat rooms, all of whom were evaluated as part of Colorado sentencing, and clinical and behavioral data were gathered from evaluations and chat transcripts. Results indicate that 90% of participants were apprehended through Internet sex stings, that chat room offenders constitute a distinct group with less severe criminogenic factors, and that two subgroups—contact‑driven and fantasy‑driven—exist, raising questions about the effectiveness of sex stings.

Abstract

This exploratory study examined 51 participants convicted of an Internet-initiated sex offense in which they attempted to entice an adolescent into a sexual relationship using an Internet chat room. All participants were convicted of a sex offense and subject to an evaluation as a part of sentencing requirements in Colorado. Clinical and behavioral data were obtained from each subject’s offense-specific evaluation and chat room transcripts. The results of the study found that 90% of the participants were apprehended as a result of an Internet sex sting. The authors conclude that Internet chat room sex offenders constitute a separate group characterized by less severe criminogenic factors than other sex offenders (rapists, child molesters). It can be hypothesized that chat room sex offenders avoid relationships and spend a significant amount of time in online chat rooms as a primary social and sexual outlet, and engage in other sexually compulsive behaviors. Within this offender group, it was discovered that two subgroups exist: a contact-driven group motivated to engage in offline sexual behavior with an adolescent and a fantasy-driven group motivated to engage an adolescent in online cybersex without an express intent to meet offline. The chat room sex offender presents a significant clinical issue to treatment providers as a live victim does not exist. Thus, it is unclear if Internet sex stings prevent incidents of child sexual exploitation and may result in convictions of individuals who may never have abused a child. The data suggest a tentative sex offender typology, including subtypes, which need to be replicated in future studies.