Why do so many preists molest children?

Answer 1

• "There are 400,000 registered sex offenders in the United States, and an estimated 80 to 100,000 of them are missing. They're supposed to be registered, but we don't know where they are and we don't know where they're living.
- Ernie Allen, President of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Childrento co-anchor Hannah Storm on The Early Show

• The most serious and chronic offenders often show signs of antisocial behavior as early as the preschool years.
- (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) (was in Juvenile Justice Bulletin: Nov 1998 OJJDP: U.S. Department of Justice)

• Dr. Gene Abel estimates that between 1% and 5% of our population molest children
-CNN Specials Transcript #454-Thieves of Childhood.

• Nearly all the offenders in sexual assaults reported to law enforcement were male (96%).
- Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement, 7/00, NCJ 182990, U.S. Department of Justice

• Overall, 23% of sexual assault offenders were under the 18 and 77% were adults - Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement,
7/00, NCJ 182990, U.S. Department of Justice

• 40% of the offenders of victims under age 6 were themselves juveniles. A similar proportion (39%) of offenders of victims ages 6 through 11 were also juveniles. For older juvenile victims, the proportion of juvenile offenders dropped to 27%.
- Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement,
7/00, NCJ 182990, U.S. Department of Justice

•Adults were the offender in 60% of the sexual assaults of youth under age 12. Rarely were the offenders of young victims strangers. Strangers were the offender in just 3% of sexual assaults against victims under age 6 and 5% of the sexual assault of victimizations of youth ages 6 through 11.
-Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement,
7/00, NCJ 182990, U.S. Department of Justice

• 1 in 5 violent offenders serving time in a state prison reported having victimized a child.
-BJS Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991.

• 2/3 of all prisoners convicted of rape or sexual assault had committed their crime against a child.
-BJS Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991.

• Acquaintance perpetrators are the most common abusers, constituting approximately 70-90% of all reported perpetrators.
-Finkelhor, D. 1994.

• 89% of child sexual assault cases involve persons known to the child, such as a caretaker or family acquaintance.
-Diana Russell Survey, 1978

• 29% of child sexual abuse offenders are relatives, 60% are acquaintances, and only 11% are strangers.
-Diana Russell, The Secret Trauma, NY:Basic Books, 1986.

• For the vast majority of child victimizers in State prison, the victim was someone they knew before the crime. 1/3 had committed their crime against their own child, about 1/2 had a relationship with the victim as a friend, acquaintance, or relative other than offspring, about 1 in 7 reported the victim to have been a stranger to them.
-BJS Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991.

• 3/4 of the violent victimizations of children took place in either the victim's home or the offenders home.
-BJS Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991.

• Males are reported to be the abusers in 80-95% of cases
-Thoringer, D., et al., 1988.

• About 60% of the male survivors sampled report at least one of their perpetrators to be female.
-Mendel, 1993.

• All but 3% of offenders who committed violent crimes against children were male.
-BJS Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991.

•The typical offender is male, begins molesting by age 15, engages in a variety of deviant behavior, and molests an average of 117 youngsters, most of whom do not report the offense.
-Dr. Gene Abel in a National Institute of Mental Health Study.

• Offenders who had victimized a child were on average 5 years older than the violent offenders who had committed their crimes against adults. Nearly 25% of child victimizers were age 40 or older, but about 10% of the inmates with adult victims fell in that range.
-BJS Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991.

• 71% of male offenders are under the age of 35.
-Dr. Ann Burges, Dr. Nicholas Groth, et al. in a study of imprisoned offenders.

• 3/4 of sexual predators are younger than 35. About 80% are of normal intelligence or above.
-Profiles from the FBI Academy and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

• Though officially, not considered abuse, the highest incidence of incest occurs among siblings.
-Waterman & Lusk, 1986.

• Many clinical settings currently are witnessing a dramatic increase in the number of adolescent offenders who have committed sexually aggressive acts against other children.
-Conte, Jon R., 1986.

• While nearly 70% of those serving time for violent crimes against children were white, whites accounted for 40% of those imprisoned for violent crimes against adults.
-BJS Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991.

• Inmates who victimized children were less likely than other inmates to have a prior criminal record-nearly 1/3 of child victimizers had never been arrested prior to the current offense, compared to less than 20% of those who victimized adults.
--BJS Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991.

• Violent child victimizers were substantially more likely than those with adult victims to have been physically or sexually abused when they were children..
-BJS Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991.

• 50% of reported child molestations involve the use of physical force and child molesters produce as much visible physical injury as rapists-39% of victims.
-Dr. Gene Abel in a National Institute of Mental Health Study.

• About 14% of child victimizers carried a weapon during the violent crime, compared to nearly 1/2 of those who victimized adults.
-BJS Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991.

• About 10% of violent offenders with child victims received life or death sentences and the average prison term was 11 years, somewhat shorter average sentences than received by those with adult victims.
-BJS Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991.

• More than 1/2 of all convicted sex offenders are sent back to prison within a year. Within 2 years, 77.9% are back.
-California Department of Corrections.

• Recidivism rates range from 18-45%. The more violent the crime the more likelihood of repeating.
-Studies by the state of Washington.

• 3 in 10 child victimizers reported that they had committed their crimes against multiple victims: they were more likely than those who victimized adults to have had multiple victims.
-BJS Survey of State Prison Inmates, 1991.

• Like rape, child molestation is one of the most underreported crimes: only 1-10% are ever disclosed.
-FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin.

• The behavior is highly repetitive, to the point of compulsion, rather than resulting from a lack of judgment.

http://www.yellodyno.com/html/child_molester_stats.html

Answer 2

That's kind of like profiling priests. These people are human too and not immune from sin or evil thoughts. There are people of many different walks just as capable. Religious people, teachers ,politicians etc.We live in a world that exploits the Innocent. A society that is mentally ill. Study psychology if you want more answers. Many victims can also grow up to be people who understand and there to help and not just someone who infects someone new. It in some ways it is like the domino effect. Many priests may have been victims within their own church or religion. It would seem that these organizations are more forgiving than the court system. But, by example should have been more strict in stopping it. Some religions or cultures as far as I know this would be punishable by death. This is an illness not a choice.

Answer 3

Anyone who molests a child is a sick scumbag. Just for the record, though, the problem doesn't only exist with priests. They've had just as many problems throughout all religions. Priests just get the most publicity because the church was covering the problem up for a long time, and they got busted for doing that. Pedophiles tend to look for careers that put them in close touch with children, and where they will be trusted. (Teaching, camp counseling, etc.) The Priesthood, and other religious leadership is convenient because families trust their religious leaders / advisers implicitly. Molesters are drawn to that kind of environment. That's why you see more pedophiles in the priesthood than you would working in other-child free- environments.

Answer 4

Short answer, priests don't molest children, pedophiles molest children. These guys are not priests, they are child molesters disguised as priests

I think alot of homosexuals and pedophiles get into the priesthood thinking they will just remain celibate and run away from their shameful desires. But then they have temptation and power and the weak succumb to temptation and become evil

Any priest who molests a child is no longer a priest. This person looses that position the instant they succumb and become sick predators and deserve worse punishment than sick predators who don't pretend to be holy.

Answer 5

I see so many people say, the statistics are the same with this group or that group. They are suposedly men of the cloth that live there life serving the Diety that christians say created everything. they should have the same percentage as I do. ZERO. No excuses or reasons. Just like during the Renesaince they think they can get away with anything. anybody who takes the innocense of a child in this way should be burned. The effects on these kids will show for the rest of their lives.

Answer 6

They are not allowed to get married. They have to take a vow of celibacy. They have power over children. It's a bad mix.

I think there are also a lot of child molesters who are scout leaders, teachers - and just plain sicko people who end up in your family, as your neighbor, or acquaintances. But it's so awful when a priest - a man of God - does something so unthinkable - so we hear about it more.

Answer 7

Many PEOPLE molest children. But since it's such a sinful act, religious figures will get the most publicity on the subject. It's absolutely disgusting what human beings will do to one another!

Answer 8

Well, there is the requirement of celibacy in the Catholic church
Celibacy is not NATURAL to grown human beings. It IS quite possible for a MATURE person to CHOOSE celibacy and to stay with that decision. But the Catholic Church lets barely chronologicly "adult" males go from altar boy to studies for the priesthood BEFORE they even know and experience their own ADULT identity and drives.
This is not meant to be any kind of excuse for what is truly CRIMINAL behavior with children. But it is something the Catholic Church should handle differently.
But this SIN occurs also among priests in churches NOT requiring celibacy. My own brother in an Episcopal boarding school had his soul damaged. by the Headmaster's behaviour. [I think he repulsed it - but the subject is so personal and disturbing trhat I am not compkletely knowledgeable of the specifics.]

Answer 9

This is a misconception. There are thousands and thousands of priests throughout the world and only a handful have molested children. Besides, Protestant ministers do the same thing. You just don't hear about it as much because they didn't take a vow of celibacy.

Answer 10

Unfortunately it has only reason, celibacy. It is not natural to stop the flow of nature, if you do for a pretension of purity, the energy inside the body always find its way. If you seeking purity, decide not to go to the bathroom anymore, be sure you will find yourself in a hospital emergency room later. Should this priest have a normal sexual life they will not be so obsessed with sex and find a natural way of coping with energies that are stronger than their beliefs.

Answer 11

Statistically, the percentage of priests who molest children isn't any higher than the percentage of married men, single men, gay men, straight men, etc. It gets more publicity because of all the people you should be able to trust with your children, you would think your priest (or pastor or rabbi or other religious leader) should be at the top of the list.