Uncovering the Behavioral Patterns of Sexually Abusive Clergy : An Integrative Review

Abstract

Results from a content analysis of 17 personnel files of credibly accused sexually abusive priests from one of Minnesota’s Catholic dioceses identified trends in offender behavior and victim preference. This suggests that behavioral characteristics and victim preferences of sexually abusive clergy may not be unique; rather, they may be specific to a certain type of sexual offender. The purpose of this study was to closely examine existing empirical literature on the characteristics of clergy sex offenders and identify how these characteristics may be indicative of the behavioral tendencies of abusive priests from the Winona Diocese.