Can we profile sex offenders? A review of sex offender typologies

Abstract Sex offenders constitute a heterogeneous population of individuals and can be classified into typologies based upon characteristics and motivations of offending. The most common classification systems are those differentiating between types of rapists, child molesters, female sex offenders, juvenile sex offenders and cyber sex offenders. Understanding the characteristics and motivations of sex offenders can lead to more effective treatment, supervision and management of offenders. This article outlines the development of sex offender typologies over the last quarter century.