Sexual Crime Investigation and Offender's Decision-Making: Rationality, Achievement, and Expertise

Criminal investigations typically oppose two main actors: the offender – taking precautions to avoid leaving evidence – and criminal investigators, who must act in light of the evidence at their disposal. Although successfully engaging in criminality does not require special skills, as evidenced by the lack of premeditation involved in most crimes, this apparent absence in decision making is not an indication of lack of skills and planning, but rather, it demonstrates that some offenders have developed in-depth knowledge and skills to assess various situations and opportunities – also known as criminal expertise. The notion of expertise in crime is directly linked to rational choice theory, as offenders develop skills to assess and respond to crime opportunities through practice. While assessing the risks and rewards associated with committing the crime, offenders will make a decision to act a certain way in order to improve the rewards while reducing the risks of getting caught. This chapter argues that similar to general offenders, sex offenders have developed a criminal expertise aimed at avoiding police detection. After discussing the concept of criminal expertise in general, the chapter examines this notion for sex offenders specifically. Moreover, the chapter reviews important notions related to offenders’ decision-making during the crime-commission process and how these may impact the ability of avoiding police detection. Finally, the chapter reviews how the investigation of sexual crimes may be partly influenced by criminal expertise