Few people in our society understand the impact of sex offenses committed by females, and investigating and prosecuting sex offenses committed by females is challenging. Biases about women as offenders impact the disclosure of abuse by their victims; the acceptance of initial reports; whether the cases are referred and accepted for criminal charges; how juries perceive these offenders; and whether they are held accountable. This session will review pertinent research on victims of female sex offenders and discuss ways to overcome the biases in the investigation and prosecution of sex offenses they commit. This session will also briefly discuss some characteristics of female sex offenders.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will recognize the incidence of sex offenders committed by females
Participants will explain how child sexual abuse victims of female offenders experience their abuse
Participants will identify biases in investigations and prosecutions of these crimes and discuss methods to overcome them
