In
criminology
Criminology (from Latin , "accusation", and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'' meaning: "word, reason") is the study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in both the behavioural and so ...
the term situational offender is used in several meanings, their common denominator being nontypical character of the
offense in question for the person according to some criteria.
General criminology
Following the classical study of
Martin R. Haskell and
Lewis Yablonsky
Lewis Yablonsky (November 23, 1924 – January 29, 2014) was an American sociologist, criminologist, author, and psychotherapist best known for his innovative and experiential work with gang members as well as with the Counterculture of the 1960 ...
''Criminology - Crime and Criminality'' (1974), a situational offender, as opposed to a career
criminal, is a person who committed a crime under certain circumstances, but normally is not inclined to commit crimes and is unlikely to repeat the offense.
Sex crimes
In
sex crime
Sex and the law deals with the regulation by law of human sexual activity. Sex laws vary from one place or jurisdiction to another, and have varied over time. Unlawful sexual acts are called sex crimes.
Some laws regarding sexual activity are ...
s, a situational
sex offender
A sex offender (sexual offender, sex abuser, or sexual abuser) is a person who has committed a sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and legal jurisdiction. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crim ...
is one whose offense is associated with
situational sexual behavior
Situational sexual behavior differs from that which the person normally exhibits, due to a social environment that in some way permits, encourages, or compels the behavior in question. This can include situations where a person's preferred sexual ...
, i.e., sexual behavior different from the person's usual habits. This term is in an opposition to the preferential offender, whose offense is associated with the person's preferential behavior. For example, a preferential
child molester
Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whethe ...
is exclusively involved with children, whereas the situational ones are normally engaged in sexual behavior within their
peer group
In sociology, a peer group is both a social group and a Primary and secondary groups, primary group of people who have similar interests (homophily), age, background, or social status. The members of this group are likely to influence the person's ...
.
[Seth L. Goldstein (1998) "The Sexual Exploitation of Children",]
p. 96
/ref>
References
{{crime-stub
Criminology