Female Perpetrators of Sexual Offences

This chapter reviews the nature and scope of female-perpetrated sexual abuse, and evaluates gender-responsive approaches. It highlights where possible implications of literature on policy and treatment, and draws necessary comparisons with the male sexual abuse literature. Psychological and clinical literature has highlighted key demographic differences between male and female perpetrators of sexual offences. In an attempt to assess the differences between males and females who engage in sexually offending behaviors, early work into female-perpetrated sexual abuse focused on reviewing demographic and personal characteristics of perpetrators. This highlighted that females who engage in illicit sexual activities constitute a heterogeneous population with distinct treatment needs. The chapter aims to offer readers insight into how best to risk assess, manage, and treat females who engage in sexually offending behaviors, while addressing misconceptions about this oft-misunderstood population. Typological research highlights that there is at least one distinct subgroup of female sexual abuser who offends in order to achieve intimacy.