Juvenile perpetrators of rape with particular cruelty

Abstract

According to statistical data in Poland, sexual acts of minors account for about 3% of all criminal acts committed by minors and nearly 20% of all acts from the catalogue of crimes against sexual freedom and morality. The main objective of the study was to attempt to develop and present characteristics of minors who commit rape with particular cruelty. Taking into account the way the perpetrators act, the motivational background and the circumstances of the crime. In particular, attention was paid to specific individual and family characteristics. Because it is not clear whether juvenile sex offenders are different from non-sex offenders. The aim of this article is an attempt to capture individual, family and environmental differences. The study was also intended to provide information about who the victims are. The study was conducted on the basis of empirical material from court cases in which the basis of liability was Article 1974 of the Penal Code, and the perpetrators or accomplices of the acts were minors who at the time of the act were over 15 years of age but under 17 years of age. The research material consisted of court case files that had been finally completed, including forensic psychological opinions prepared by court experts. Cases from 2015-2020 were analysed. The obtained results allowed to capture some specific features of families in which minors were brought up and the characteristics of juvenile sex offenders themselves. This article raises the difficult issue of juvenile responsibility for sexual crimes, indicates areas in which it is necessary to regulate interactions and areas of possible preventive impacts.

Keywords

• juveniles
• sexual offences
• rape with particular cruelty