Female Sexual Offenders

Theresa A. Gannon is Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology at the University of Kent, UK, and a Chartered Consultant Forensic Psychologist specialising in sexual offenders at the Trevor Gibbens Unit, Forensic Psychiatry Services, Kent, UK. Theresa has published widely in the areas of both male- and female-perpetrated sexual offending. Franca Cortoni is a Clinical Forensic Psychologist with extensive specialized research and clinical experience with male and female sexual offenders. In addition to publishing in this area, she has provided consultation and training services in numerous national and international forums. Formerly with the Correctional Service of Canada, she is now at the School of Criminology at the Université de Montréal, Canada.

About the Editors ix

List of Contributors xi

Preface xv

Acknowledgements xvii

1 Female Sexual Offenders: Theory, Assessment and Treatment – An Introduction 1
Theresa A. Gannon and Franca Cortoni

2 Understanding the Prevalence of Female-Perpetrated Sexual Abuse and the Impact of That Abuse on Victims 9
Jacqui Saradjian

3 Theories of Female Sexual Offending 31
Danielle A. Harris

4 The Juvenile Female Sexual Offender: Characteristics, Treatment and Research 53
Lisa L. Frey

5 The Mental Health Needs of Female Sexual Offenders 73
Myriam-M´elanie Rousseau and Franca Cortoni

6 The Assessment of Female Sexual Offenders 87
Franca Cortoni

7 The Treatment Needs of Female Sexual Offenders 101
Hannah Ford

8 A Review of Treatment Initiatives for Female Sexual Offenders 119
Kelley Blanchette and Kelly N. Taylor

9 Using the Polygraph with Female Sexual Offenders 143
Peggy Heil, Dominique Simons, and David Burton

10 Working with Female Sexual Offenders: Therapeutic Process Issues 161
Sherry Ashfield, Sheila Brotherston, Hilary Eldridge, and Ian Elliott

11 Developments in Female Sexual Offending and Considerations for Future Research and Treatment 181
Theresa A. Gannon, Mariamne R. Rose, and Franca Cortoni

Index 199