Sadism in sexual homicide offenders: identifying distinct groups

Pages120-133
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/JCP-11-2016-0042
Published date02 May 2017
Date02 May 2017
AuthorKylie Reale,Eric Beauregard,Melissa Martineau
Subject MatterHealth & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Criminal psychology,Sociology,Sociology of crime & law,Deviant behaviour,Public policy & environmental management,Policing,Criminal justice
Sadism in sexual homicide offenders:
identifying distinct groups
Kylie Reale, Eric Beauregard and Melissa Martineau
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether it is possible to identify different types of
sadistic offenders within a sample of sexual homicide offenders (SHOs).
Design/methodology/approach The study addresses this research question through the use of
two-step hierarchal cluster analysis and binary logistic regression utilizing a sample of 350 cases of sexual
homicide from Canada.
Findings Results from cluster analysis show that three groups emerge: a non-sadistic group, a mixed
group that show evidence of some sadistic behavior and a sadistic group that have high levels of sadistic
behavior. Additionally, the sadistic cluster was more likely to destroy or remove evidence at the crime
scene than the mixed and non-sadistic cluster and was more likely to leave the victims body at a deserted
location than the non-sadistic cluster.
Originality/value This is the first study to examine the dimensionality of sadism within a sample of SHOs.
Keywords Classification, Sex offender, Diagnostic, Investigative awareness, Sadism, Sexual homicide
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The sadistic sexual offender has interested researchers and clinicians since the seminal work of
Psychiatrist, Kraft-von Ebing (1886/1998), who popularized the concept of sadism. In his book
Psychopathia Sexualis (1886/1998), he described a sadistic individual as one driven by the
experience of pleasure, which could be only achieved through means of cruelty and corporal
punishment on animals or people. Since this time, researchers have sought to validate the notion
of sadism, but despite continued effort, an agreed upon definition has yet to emerge.
Consequently, identifying and diagnosing sadism has been recognized as challenging and has
lead to various estimates on the actual prevalence that ranges anywhere from 5 to 50 percent of
all sexual offenders depending on the study (Barbaree et al., 1994; Groth and Birnbaum, 1979;
Harenski et al., 2012; Proulx et al., 1999). Due to both the rarity of sexual homicide and varying
definitions, this number has been even more difficult to establish when examining sadism in this
context. However, more recent estimates suggest that sadism occurs within approximately
35 percent of sexual homicides (Hill et al., 2006).
As a result of consistent issues in the diagnosis and identification of sadism, a paradigm shift has
begun to emerge in the literature that emphasizes the dimensional nature of sadism. This shift
includes a focus on behavioral crime sceneindicators as a method for identifying the most severe
sadisticoffenders as a way toovercome some of the present diagnosticconcerns. However, to our
knowledge, no studies have sought to use the crime scene behavior of sexual homicide offenders
(SHOs) exclusively to determine if distinct groups will emerge that can be differentiated based on
varying degrees of sadistic offending. This has potential utility for clinical and research purposes and
as support for sadism being viewed as dimensional rather than a distinct clinical entity.
As such, the current study will seek to add to the extant literature on sadism in the context of
sexual homicide specifically. Moreover, we will attempt to differentiate SHOs based on behavioral
crime scene indicators of sadism. Then, in order to test the external validity of the groups
Received 11 November 2016
Revised 28 November 2016
Accepted 1 December 2016
Kylie Reale is an MA Student
and Eric Beauregard is a
Professor, both at the School
of Criminology, Simon Fraser
University, Burnaby, Canada.
Melissa Martineau is the
Manager of Research and
Development at the
Department of Polygraph
Training Unit, Canadian Police
College, Ottawa, Canada.
PAGE120
j
JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY
j
VOL. 7 NO. 2 2017, pp. 120-133, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2009-3829 DOI 10.1108/JCP-11-2016-0042

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