ABSTRACT

Aggregating a wide range of behaviors under the broad label of “sex offender” seems to suggest that it does not matter theoretically and conceptually as well as from a prevention/intervention standpoint. The repercussion of the sex offender label goes well beyond the theoretical considerations and empirical observations. The “sex offender” focus has often been approached or associated with the presence of individual deficits or defects that facilitate offending. Using a criminological perspective has led us to realize that those we used to call “sex offenders” are in fact offenders. The overreliance on sex offender therapies and treatment programs for all perpetrators may not be justified in most cases, especially with youth. Refocusing the object of study from sex offenders to sex offending can bring a new standpoint and a much-needed perspective to this field. Psychology, psychiatry, and more criminology hold a great place in the research on sex offending.