Eric Beauregard

Purpose: Existing research has conceptualized criminal expertise among sexual offenders through the combined examination of modus operandi sophistication and detection avoidance strategies. This study investigated whether forensic and investigative awareness strategies, considered independently from the modus operandi, constitute a meaningful indicator of criminal expertise. Methods: The sample comprised 1349 solved cases of sexual assault with penetration committed by male strangers against adult female victims in France between 2001 and 2018. A latent class analysis was conducted using six detection avoidance variables, followed by bivariate analyses to assess the external validity of the identified classes. Results: Five distinct classes emerged, forming a coherent continuum of criminal expertise ranging from Novices, characterized by minimal use of avoidance strategies, to Experts, who combined diverse forensic and investigative awareness strategies. A hierarchical progression from investigative to forensic strategies was observed across classes. External validity analyses showed significant associations between class membership, modus operandi sophistication and offender characteristics. Conclusions: Detection avoidance strategies alone appear to provide a meaningful indicator of criminal expertise among sexual offenders. These findings support a continuum‐based conceptualization of expertise and highlight the value of detection avoidance behaviours for crime scene analysis, offender profiling and the study of criminal decision‐making.

Although relatively rare, sexual homicide has stimulated research efforts to better understand and intervene in the prevention of such crime. However, specific high-risk victims such as sex-trade workers have been understudied. To contribute to the limited scientific literature on this topic, the current study examines the characteristics of the sexual victimization of sex-trade workers using a sample of 402 lethal and non-lethal cases. Bivariate and multivariate analyses indicated that the lethal outcome associated with the sexual victimization of sex-trade workers may not be associated with sadism and paraphilic behaviors, but rather by excessive violence and victim’s vulnerabilities. Conjunctive analysis further indicated that the combination of excessive violence, victim’s intoxication, situational factors, and crime characteristics was associated with lethal sexual victimization of sex-trade workers. Findings suggest strategies in the development of situational prevention and intervention strategies.

Purpose: Detectives require analytic tools for the evaluation of deception, truth, and probability as police investigations need to assess the validity of suspect alibis, witness claims, victim allegations, and crime theory feasibility. Design: For a crime to happen, a number of preliminary, intervening, and follow-up steps have to occur (e.g., finding a target, casing the bank, disposing of the body) along the dimensions of time, action, and geography (TAG). A crime script is a framework for dissecting this sequence. We propose their use for assessing the feasibility of a crime narrative. If the required phase shifts are improbable, or the order of actions illogical, then such an analysis warns investigators the TAG line is problematic. Findings: Different case studies – a wrongful conviction, a murder trial, and a social media crime frenzy – are dissected and evaluated using crime scripts. The analyses reveal the improbability of all three crime narratives. Practical Implications: Crime scripts are a useful thinking tool in criminal investigations. By deconstructing a crime into discrete temporal, geographic, and action phases, the viability of the overall narrative can be assessed. If a reasonable story cannot be constructed from the linked stages, there is a problem and further inquiries are required. Originality: We propose a novel application of crime scripts to assist in police investigations. Despite the importance of validity and veracity assessment in this task, the area remains an understudied part of the criminal investigation process.

Sexual homicides are complex crimes that have been the focus of numerous classification systems aimed at aiding investigations, understanding offender behavior, and informing treatment plans. Over the past 25 years, a variety of typologies have been developed to categorize these offenses. This scoping review examines these typologies, exploring their evolution and the key offender, victim, and crime characteristics used to define them. The review identifies 19 empirical typologies from Canada, France, the UK, South Africa, and other regions, most of which are based on police and offender data. Typologies typically include categories such as “sadistic” and “anger‐driven” homicides, though the number of types varies across studies. Moreover, the review highlights gaps in current research, such as limited sample sizes and the need for more diverse cultural perspectives. Recommendations are made for developing a more comprehensive and validated typology that incorporates broader data sources and modern methodologies, such as machine learning techniques, to enhance profiling, investigation, and prevention efforts.

Purpose of Review This review includes research on sexual burglary to highlight the distinct behaviours of such offenders. Only recently has there been a thorough examination of the decision-making that goes into this hybrid crime, and the potential for these individuals to progress to more serious and violent criminal acts. Recent Findings Work on sexual burglary has found that decisions made during the crime commission reflect rational decision-making and organization, despite previous research suggesting that sexual crimes are mostly impulsive. Furthermore, these rational choices may lead to the development of expertise in sexual burglary, with offenders learning how to avoid detection and engage in forensic awareness strategies. Summary The knowledge that sexual burglars are expert decision-makers has important implications, as these behaviours may lead to more violent and lethal sexual crimes. Identifying these offenders through their decisions and crime characteristics is key to potentially deterring or preventing future offending.

Despite cultural references to the dangers of hitchhiking, particularly for sexual homicide, no published research investigates these incidents from both an offender and crime scene perspective. Using the Sexual Homicide International Database (SHIelD), we explore lifestyle risk by comparing sexual homicide cases involving hitchhiking victims to those involving victims engaged in sex trade work. The results, based on the use of bivariate and multivariate statistics, indicate that offenders view hitchhiking victims as opportunities for confinement without physical restraint, often engaging in sexual acts and theft. While not primarily sadistic or sexually deviant, many offenders partake in criminal activities, exhibit psychological disorders, and possess weapons. Hitchhiking facilitates perpetrator-victim encounters due to its environmental characteristics. Victims in the sex trade, typically found in isolated locations, are at the mercy of offenders who drive them to unknown destinations. In contrast, murderers targeting low-risk victims display more sexual preoccupations, inserting foreign objects and engaging in postmortem activities. These distinctions suggest distinct offender profiles for each lifestyle.

This study aims to explore the behavioral manifestation of sadism in females involved in sexual crimes. The sample includes 24 female sex offenders for which sadism was assessed with the SeSaS. To conduct a gender-based comparison analysis, we conducted a random selection of 100 sadistic male offenders. Bivariate comparisons and multidimensional scaling analysis were used to determine whether behavioral manifestation and dimensions of sadism are different in female sex offenders. Results showed that sadism in women manifests itself differently from male offenders and practical implications are discussed.

Purpose of Review This review presents recent research on the sexual abuse of older adults and examines this phenomenon from a criminological perspective. Much of the previous work has neglected to consider the entirety of the crime-commission process. Therefore, the work highlighted in this review showcases important information regarding the individual who committed the crime, the victim, and the criminal event as a whole. Recent Findings Comparative studies suggest that the motivations of people who commit sexually victimize older adults are vast and can include those that are sexually and anger motivated, while the victims present with unique vulnerabilities, such as disabilities and spending most of their time at home, that make them more susceptible to excessive violence. Summary People who commit sexual abuse against older adults are a heterogenous group, and the context of victim vulnerabilities is key to understanding why they are targeted. Specific prevention and investigative practices can be formed to better address this crime and protect older adults from future victimization.