Table Of ContentSpringerBriefs in Psychology
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Tia A. Hoffer Joy Lynn E. Shelton
●
Suicide Among
Child Sex Offenders
Tia A. Hoffer Joy Lynn E. Shelton
Federal Bureau of Investigation Federal Bureau of Investigation
Quantico, VA, USA Quantico, VA, USA
ISSN 2192-8363 ISSN 2192-8371 (electronic)
ISBN 978-1-4614-5936-1 ISBN 978-1-4614-5937-8 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-5937-8
Springer New York Heidelberg Dordrecht London
Library of Congress Control Number: 2012951415
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Contents
I. Introduction ............................................................................................. 1
II. Literature Review .................................................................................... 3
a. General Suicide Research ..................................................................... 3
b. Suicide Notes ........................................................................................ 8
c. Child Sex Offender Dynamics .............................................................. 12
d. Child Sex Offenders and Suicide ......................................................... 16
III. Method ...................................................................................................... 19
a. Materials and Procedure ....................................................................... 19
i. General Assessment Questionnaire ................................................ 20
ii. Suicide Notes .................................................................................. 23
IV. Results ...................................................................................................... 25
a. Offender Characteristics ....................................................................... 25
i. Gender, Age, and Race ................................................................ 25
ii. Marital Status ............................................................................... 25
iii. Children ........................................................................................ 25
iv. Education Level ........................................................................... 26
v. Employment Status ...................................................................... 26
vi. Military History ........................................................................... 26
vii. Criminal Arrest History ............................................................... 27
b. Investigation Characteristics ................................................................ 27
i. Offender Types ............................................................................. 27
ii. Demographics of Hands-On/Contact Child Victims .................... 28
iii. Awareness of Investigation .......................................................... 28
c. Suicide Characteristics ......................................................................... 28
i. Stressors ....................................................................................... 28
ii. Household Composition............................................................... 29
iii. Time Between Awareness and Suicide ........................................ 29
iv. Suicide and Investigative Stage .................................................... 29
v. Cause of Death (COD) ................................................................. 29
v
vi Contents
vi. Suicide Location .......................................................................... 30
vii. Potential Danger to Law Enforcement ......................................... 30
d. Suicide Notes ....................................................................................... 30
i. Cognitive Distortions ................................................................... 31
ii. Self-Blame and Blaming of Others .............................................. 32
iii. Apology ........................................................................................ 32
iv. Shame ........................................................................................... 32
v. Discussion of Afterlife ................................................................. 32
vi. Suicide Act ................................................................................... 32
vii. Elements of Joiner’s Interpersonal-Psychological
Theory (IPT) ................................................................................ 33
viii. Aspects and Features .................................................................... 33
ix. Reasons for Suicide ...................................................................... 33
x. Five-Factor Model ........................................................................ 34
V. Discussion ................................................................................................. 35
a. Application of the Interpersonal–Psychological Theory
to CSO Suicide ..................................................................................... 35
i. Thwarted Belongingness .............................................................. 35
ii. Case Illustration 1 ........................................................................ 36
iii. Burdensomeness .......................................................................... 38
iv. Acquired Capability ..................................................................... 38
b. Case Illustration 2 ................................................................................. 39
c. Analysis of Suicide Notes Left by CSOs ............................................. 41
i. Examples of Aspects and Features Contained
in the Suicide Notes ..................................................................... 44
d. Multidisciplinary Considerations ......................................................... 46
i. Considerations for Law Enforcement .......................................... 47
ii. Considerations for the Legal Process ........................................... 54
iii. Considerations for Mental Health and Community
Service Providers ......................................................................... 57
VI. Conclusion ................................................................................................ 59
VII. Future Research Directions .................................................................... 61
VIII. Limitations of the Study ......................................................................... 63
IX. The FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit III:
Crimes Against Children ........................................................................ 65
References ........................................................................................................... 67
Index .................................................................................................................... 75
Acknowledgements ............................................................................................ 79
Abstract
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) III –
Crimes Against Children reviewed and analyzed 106 male Child Sex Offenders
(CSOs) who committed suicide during the course of a child sex crime investigation.
Of the 106 CSOs, 79% were child pornography traders/collectors, 43% were child
molesters, 21% were travelers, and 18% were child pornography producers.
Analyses also revealed that nearly all were Caucasian and the majority were married,
employed, and died via self-in fl icted gunshot wound. Of particular interest was that
in 26% of the cases, the offender killed himself within 48 hours of his awareness
of the investigation, and in nearly half of the known cases, the offender had past/
current military service and a criminal history. In addition, 68% left a suicide note,
which is substantially higher than the general suicide population. Analysis of the
notes revealed common aspects and themes including cognitive distortions,
burdensomeness, shame, and self-blame. The most frequently cited reason for the
suicide in the note was the child sex crime investigation. Awareness of this potentially
high-risk population may better inform the law enforcement, corrections, and mental
health communities of the unique risk factors for suicide among CSOs and provide
a more effective crisis response.
vii
I. Introduction
Little empirical research exists con fi rming that child sex offenders (CSO)1 are at
higher risk for suicide (Byrne, Lurigio, & Pimentel, 2009 ; Hoffer, Shelton, Behnke,
& Erdberg, 2010 ) . Nevertheless, law enforcement agencies around the country anec-
dotally report cases in which an investigation of a child sex crime abruptly ended due
to the suicide of the offender.2 Many CSOs experience high levels of fear, anxiety,
shame, and helplessness during the course of an investigation and are often con-
cerned about their future as it relates to their family, work, and reputation (Hoffer
et al., 2010 ; Lanning, 2010 ) . Feeling stigmatized, they might see themselves as a
burden to society, having nothing to contribute (Hoffer et al. ) . They may also believe
that disclosure of this information will humiliate and thus burden their family.
Motivations for suicide among CSOs are diverse but often include regaining control
of a situation that they perceive as helpless and uncertain (e.g., escaping prison time
or preventing the disclosure of additional victims) ( Hoffer et al. ) .
Although law enforcement personnel are neither trained nor required to assess an
offender’s suicidality, awareness of suicide among this population of offenders may
mitigate the risk of suicide and enhance operational strategies, including of fic er
safety (Hoffer et al., 2010 ) . Additionally, analyses of these cases may give law
enforcement empirically based data to support seizing the offenders’ weapons for
safety purposes or to argue for the detention of an offender after arrest in order to
evaluate his vulnerability to suicide.
1 The term child sex offender (CSO) used here indicates an adult who was being investigated for a
sex crime against a child(ren) at the time of his death. The pronouns, he/him/his, are used through-
out this document since the BAU sample of CSOs was composed of all males. The child sex
crime(s) included the receiving, possessing, distributing, or producing of child pornography, trav-
eling to have sex with a minor, or sexually molesting a child(ren). Due to the suicides of the CSOs
occurring early in the investigations, the majority of the sample was never convicted.
2 For many of the CSOs referenced, there was probable cause to seize evidence in a search or arrest
warrant. In some cases, a “knock and talk” was conducted when there was insuf fi cient probable
cause for a search or arrest warrant at a speci fi c location or on the offender. A knock and talk
involves law enforcement knocking on the offender’s residence and asking for consent to interview
him and/or review his computer for any evidence of illegal activity.
T.A. Hoffer and J.L.E. Shelton, Suicide Among Child Sex Offenders, 1
SpringerBriefs in Psychology, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-5937-8_1,
© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013
