Paraphilias and Fetishes: The Driving Force Behind Sexual Assault

In this presentation, Dr. Turner explores psychiatric disorders such as sexual sadism, pedophilia, and exhibitionism through interviews with offenders. Law enforcement, victim advocates, attorneys, and supervisors can better understand the reason for these disorders and what they actually “look like” in an interview. By understanding these disorders, professionals will be better able to relate to offenders as opposed to feeling shock or disgust. This helps to facilitate rapport and ultimately statements of confession from guilty offenders. Through this ability, recidivism can be prevented as professionals recognize the specific nature of an offender’s sexual deviance. Additionally, the combination of psychopathy (anti-sociality) and sexual deviance are explored to help professionals recognize more dangerous offenders.