Investigating and prosecuting sex offenses committed by females is challenging. Biases about women as offenders impacts the disclosure of abuse, the acceptance of initial reports, whether the cases are referred and accepted for criminal charges and how juries perceive these offenders and whether they are held accountable. This workshop will review pertinent research on female sex offenders and discuss ways to overcome the biases in the investigation and prosecution of sex offenses they commit, and will discuss how victims experience their abuse.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will understand the incidence of sex offenders committed by females
Participants will explain how child sexual abuse victims of female offenders experience their abuse
Participants will identify biases in investigations and prosecutions of these crimes and discuss methods to overcome them
