Exploring the role of salon professionals in identifying sex trafficking and violence victims in Indiana.

BACKGROUND: Sex trafficking victims often have touchpoints with salons for waxing, styling, and other body modification services required by traffickers. Recently, some states have administered laws requiring salon professionals to receive intimate partner violence (IPV)-related training, with even fewer states mandating training on identifying sex trafficking. This study aimed to understand how salon professionals have witnessed evidence of violence, including IPV and sex trafficking, in the workplace and to explore the differences in their approach to each type of victim. METHODS: In-depth interviews were conducted with salon professionals (N = 10) and law enforcement professionals/policymakers (N = 5). Content and thematic analysis techniques were used. RESULTS: Salon professionals typically identified potential violence through signs such as bruises, odd behavior, and client disclosures, prompting them to engage in cautious conversations. Yet, few were trained to identify and intervene. Often, they responded to suspected violence by talking with the client, sharing concerns with salon leadership, directly intervening on the client's behalf, or contacting the police. Law enforcement and salon professionals had suggestions about improving salon professionals' recognition of and response to violence, including training on victim-focused resources, creating a safe environment, and building relationships with law enforcement. They also suggested strengthening community partnerships to increase resource advocacy and reporting. CONCLUSIONS: One-on-one salon services may provide a unique opportunity to intervene and identify victims of violence, especially when empowered through additional training and collaborative partnerships with community-oriented policing initiates. Implementing training and community-based initiatives could aid salon professionals in gaining greater confidence in knowing what to do when serving a client who is a victim of IPV or sex trafficking.

The role of community healthcare professionals in discussing sexual assault experiences during obstetrics and gynecological healthcare appointments.

BACKGROUND: Nearly half of adult women in the US report experiencing sexual assault, with almost one-fifth reporting rape. For many sexual assault survivors, healthcare professionals are the first point of contact and disclosure. This study aimed to understand how healthcare professionals working in community settings perceived their role in discussing sexual violence experiences with women during obstetrical and gynecological healthcare appointments. The secondary purpose was to compare healthcare professionals' perspectives with the patients' to determine how sexual violence conversations should occur in these environments. METHODS: Data were collected in two phases. Phase 1 consisted of 6 focus groups (Sept-Dec, 2019) with women aged 18-45 (n = 22) living in Indiana who sought community-based or private healthcare for women's reproductive healthcare needs. Phase 2 included 20 key-informant interviews with non-physician healthcare professionals (i.e., NP, RN, CNM, doula, pharmacist, chiropractor) living in Indiana (September 2019-May 2020) who provided community-based women's reproductive healthcare. Focus groups and interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analyses. HyperRESEARCH assisted in data management and organization. RESULTS: There were three resulting themes: (1) healthcare professionals' approaches to screening for a history of sexual violence varied depending on how they ask, what setting they work in, and type of professional asking; (2) healthcare experiences can compound traumatic experiences and create distrust with survivors; and (3) sexual violence impacts patient healthcare experiences through what services they seek, how professionals may interact with them, and what professionals they are willing to utilize. CONCLUSIONS: Findings offered insight into actionable and practical strategies for enhancing sexual violence screening and discussions in community-based women's reproductive health settings. The findings offer strategies to address barriers and facilitators among community healthcare professionals and the people they serve. Incorporating healthcare professional and patient experiences and preferences for violence-related discussions during obstetrical and gynecological healthcare appointments can assist in violence prevention efforts, improve patient-professional rapport, and yield better health outcomes.

Spanish Validation of the Child Pornography Offender Risk Tool.

The current study examined the validity of the Child Pornography Offender Risk Tool (CPORT) in a sample of 304 men arrested in Spain for child pornography (CP) offenses, distinguishing between CP-exclusive offenders (n = 255) and CP offenders with other criminal involvement (n = 49). In our 5-year fixed follow-up analysis, we observed a 2.3% sexual recidivism rate for the whole sample (2.0% new CP offenses, 0.3% new contact sexual offenses). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses detected some relative predictive ability of the CPORT for CP recidivism outcomes when the Correlates of Admission of Sexual Interest in Children (CASIC) was used to replace missing CPORT Item 5. Specifically, both CPORT and CASIC total scores might help predict new CP offending among CP-exclusive offenders (area under the curve [AUC] = .57 and .70, respectively). Calibration analyses found that the observed recidivism rates were much lower than the expected recidivism rates presented by the tool developers, and, thus, suggest caution over the use of these norms for applied risk assessment. Our findings provide, to some extent, preliminary evidence of CPORT cross-cultural validity.

Criminological differences between contact-driven and online-focused suspects in online child sexual grooming police reports.

BACKGROUND: Differences exist between contact and noncontact-driven online child sexual abuse offenders; however, there is still a notable lack of empirical studies with police samples from non-English speaking countries, including Spain. OBJECTIVE: We address this gap by analyzing the criminological characteristics of online child sexual grooming (OCSG) suspected offenders from de-identified law enforcement investigations in Spain. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: We anonymously coded data provided by Spanish law enforcement agencies from 257 OCSG cases (i.e., unique chat logs between a suspect and minor) extracted from 98 police reports with index investigation years from 2008 to 2021. A total of 101,391 messages were analyzed. METHODS: Three distinct datasets were created: 257 OCSG cases, 120 unique suspects (79 online-focused, 41 contact-driven), and 234 unique victims. Each dataset focused on different criminological variables for analysis, such as grooming strategy, motivation, and victim high-risk behaviors. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between suspects on gender, age, or criminal offense history. Contact-driven suspects were more likely to use positive rapport (ɸ = 0.18), send unprompted sexually explicit images of themselves (ɸ = 0.19), and offer something in exchange (ɸ = 0.25). Victims of contact-driven individuals were more likely to be male (ɸ = 0.52) and offer something in exchange for sex or sexually explicit images (ɸ = 0.18). Victims of online-focused individuals were more likely to be younger (r = 0.26). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest criminological differences in the online grooming strategies between contact-driven and online-focused suspected offenders in Spain.

Are you a cop?: Identifying suspicion in online chat operations with online groomers.

BACKGROUND: The increase in online enticement has led to law enforcement agencies engaging in more proactive policing through undercover chat sting operations. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify the topics and communication strategies triggering suspicion in chats between law enforcement officers and offenders and why those topics do not result in suspicion in victim-offender conversations. METHODS: We conducted a thematic analysis identifying: (1) how LEOs trigger suspicion, (2) how offenders communicate suspicion, (3) how LEOs attempt recovery from suspicion, and (4) how these triggers were present but did not trigger suspicion in victim-offender chats. We examined 20 LEO-offender chats and 20 victim-offender chats from US ICAC task forces. RESULTS: We identified four themes that triggered suspicion: risk assessment by the LEO's persona, LEO avoidance measures, details related to the offense and evidence, and proof of identity of chat participants. Offender responses to triggers revealed three themes: discomfort navigating boundaries and uncertainty, risk identification, and risk mitigation. Themes for the LEO's responses to suspicion included: risk assessment for chatters, issues with technology, appeasement, and negative emotional reactions. Finally, juxtaposing triggers onto minor-offender chats yielded four themes: explicit boundary setting, victim risk assessment, deep relationship forming and disclosures, and technology issues. CONCLUSION: This study has implications for law enforcement agencies seeking to reduce suspicion and risk assessment by offenders during internet sting operations.

A multi-factor knuckle and nail bed verification tool for forensic imagery analysis.

BACKGROUND: The grooming process involves sexually explicit images or videos sent by the offender to the minor. Although offenders may try to conceal their identity, these sexts often include hand, knuckle, and nail bed imagery. OBJECTIVE: We present a novel biometric hand verification tool designed to identify online child sexual exploitation offenders from images or videos based on biometric/forensic features extracted from hand regions. The system can match and authenticate hand component imagery against a constrained custody suite reference of a known subject by employing advanced image processing and machine learning techniques. DATA: We conducted experiments on two hand datasets: Purdue University and Hong Kong. In particular, the Purdue dataset collected for this study allowed us to evaluate the system performance on various parameters, with specific emphasis on camera distance and orientation. METHODS: To explore the performance and reliability of the biometric verification models, we considered several parameters, including hand orientation, distance from the camera, single or multiple fingers, architecture of the models, and performance loss functions. RESULTS: Results showed the best performance for pictures sampled from the same database and with the same image capture conditions. CONCLUSION: The authors conclude the biometric hand verification tool offers a robust solution that will operationally impact law enforcement by allowing agencies to investigate and identify online child sexual exploitation offenders more effectively. We highlight the strength of the system and the current limitations.

Testing a hybrid risk assessment model: Predicting CSAM offender risk from digital forensic artifacts.

BACKGROUND: Recent research argues for a formalized hybrid risk assessment model that combines the current online child sex abuse risk measures with digital forensics artifacts. OBJECTIVE: We conducted a feasibility study as an initial step toward formalizing the hybrid risk assessment model by identifying high-level digital forensic artifacts that have the potential to be valid and reliable indicators of risk, with a focus on CPORT Items 5, 6, and 7. DATA: Law enforcement investigators from a High Tech Crime Unit (HTCU) randomly selected seven closed cases; selection criteria included: male offender over 18, mobile device, child sexual abuse material (CSAM) offense, and 2019-2023 index offense. Investigation details related to probable cause, final charges, conviction, and offender risk were not disclosed. Statistical information (f, %) for the following digital forensics artifacts was examined: 1) pornography collection (e.g., % of media, content type, gender ratio) and 2) evidence of networking/grooming and other problematic online activities (e.g., number of native messages vs. application messages; type of installed apps). METHOD: The analysis predicted whether the offender was a CSAM-only or dual offender and if our findings agreed with the level of risk for reoffending suggested by CPORT Items 5, 6, and 7. Results were shared with the HTCU and scored for accuracy. RESULTS: The hybrid model was accurate in 6 of 7 cases. CONCLUSION: We conclude a hybrid model is feasible, and the findings illustrate the importance of analyzing app artifacts for context. Study limitations and future research recommendations are discussed.

A scoping review of child grooming strategies: pre- and post-internet.

BACKGROUND: Researchers have studied the online sexual grooming of minors extensively since the early 2000s. However, the grooming process is neither new nor restricted to digital media. While grooming and child sexual abuse existed long before the Internet, the advent of the Internet has resulted in more ways in which offenders can interact with candidate victims including offline-only, online-only, and a mix of offline and online. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we conducted a scoping review of grooming strategies both pre- and post-Internet. Our goal was to enumerate strategies analyzed in both time periods, provide similarities and differences, and discuss how changing datasets and technology have impacted the grooming process in both online and offline environments. METHODS: We performed a scoping review of peer-reviewed journal articles from 1970 to 2020 within PubMed, Medline, PsychInfo, and ERIC. This resulted in 19,679 unique articles. Titles and abstracts were screened resulting in 266 articles which were then read in full, resulting in 93 papers which qualified based on inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Grooming strategies identified pre-Internet included: enticements, coercion, isolation, substance abuse, gradual sexualization, and secrecy. In comparison, the strategies identified post-Internet were: enticements, risk assessment, trust, sexualization, fantasy, secrecy, isolation, meeting, media progression, deception, coercion, substance use as a tool, authority, and repetition. CONCLUSIONS: While grooming strategies overlapped pre and post-Internet, the timing and scope of concepts differed. Additionally, grooming offline began to incorporate technology post-Internet which functioned to increase accessibility and isolation of the victim in a similar manner to online grooming.

Online child pornography offender risk assessment using digital forensic artifacts: The need for a hybrid model.

The prevalence of online child pornography is a major societal issue. The criminal justice system has struggled with assessing the risk of individuals involved in online sexual offenses against children, especially when it involves the possession of child pornography. Research suggests there are different categories of offenders involved in this type of behavior (e.g., Online Child Pornography Offenders, Dual Offenders, Contact Offenders), with each category having different motivations, contributing factors, and levels of risk to re-offend or escalate their criminal behavior to more serious offenses (i.e., collecting pictures to contact offending). Determining the risk that individuals involved in online sexual offenses against children pose to re-offend or escalate their criminal behavior has been problematic. Traditional sexual offender risk measures have lower predictive validity when dealing with online child pornography offenders. This article discusses the need for a formalized hybrid risk assessment model that combines the current online sex offenses against children risk measures with digital forensics artifact analysis. The evidence derived from digital forensics artifact analysis can supplement the predictive risk factors obtained from these risk assessment tools, thus increasing the reliability and validity of the risk assessment.

Criminological differences between child pornography offenders arrested in Spain.

BACKGROUND: Lack of studies on CP offenders from non-English speaking countries motivated the analysis of the profile of adult men arrested in Spain for such crimes (N = 347). OBJECTIVE: The current study examined differences between groups of CP users according to their criminal history (i.e., CP-only offenders, CP offenders with other nonviolent or non-sexually violent crimes, and dual offenders). METHODS: Analyses of case investigation files were performed across seven key areas: (1) sociodemographic characteristics, (2) criminological data, (3) characteristics of index CP offending, (4) characteristics of CP collections, (5) access to children, (6) indication of pedophilic or hebephilic interests, and (7) recidivism outcomes. RESULTS: CP-only offenders presented with fewer prior criminal records and lower general (6.7%) and violent (1.1%) recidivism rates. They were also less likely to be arrested for CP production, although they had greater access to children living in their residence. CP offenders with other nonviolent or non-sexually violent crimes exhibited characteristics on a continuum between the other two groups. Dual offenders were more likely to have prior criminal records for sexual offenses and higher sexual recidivism rates (16.7%). 55.6% had produced their own CP material, and they were more likely to have content depicting boys. They were also more likely to admit or be diagnosed with pedophilic/hebephilic interests, and they also had the largest proportion of legal child-related content (72.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Authors conclude there are significant differences between dual and CP-only offenders which suggests a need for specialized treatment and risk assessment tools.

Chat Analysis Triage Tool: Differentiating contact-driven vs. fantasy-driven child sex offenders.

Investigating crimes against children, specifically sexual solicitations, are complicated because not all offenders are contact-driven, meaning they want to meet the minor for sex in the physical world; instead, some offenders are fantasy-driven, in that they are more interested in cybersex and role-play. In addition, the sheer volume of cases involving the online sexual solicitation of minors makes it difficult for law enforcement to determine whether an offender is contact-driven vs. fantasy-driven. However, research shows that there are language-based differences between minors and contact-driven offenders vs. fantasy driven-offenders. Thus, we developed the Chat Analysis Triage Tool (CATT), a forensically sound investigative tool that, based on natural language processing methods, analyzes and compares chats between minors and contact-driven vs. non-contract driven offenders. Using an SVM classifier, we were successful in differentiating the classes based on character trigrams. In a matter of seconds, the existing algorithms provide an identification of an offender's risk level based on the likelihood of contact offending as inferred from the model, which assists law enforcement in their ability to triage and prioritize cases involving the sexual solicitation of minors.

Exploring detection of contact vs. fantasy online sexual offenders in chats with minors: Statistical discourse analysis of self-disclosure and emotion words.

This exploratory study is the first to identify content differences between youths' online chats with contact child sex offenders (CCSOs; seek to meet with youths) and those with fantasy child sex offenders (FCSOs; do not meet with youths) using statistical discourse analysis (SDA). Past studies suggest that CCSOs share their experiences and emotions with targeted youths (self-disclosure grooming tactic) and encourage them to reciprocate, to build trust and closer relationships through a cycle of self-disclosures. In this study, we examined 36,029 words in 4,353 messages within 107 anonymized online chat sessions by 21 people, specifically 12 youths and 9 arrested sex offenders (5 CCSOs and 4 FCSOs), using SDA. Results showed that CCSOs were more likely than FCSOs to write online messages with specific words (first person pronouns, negative emotions and positive emotions), suggesting the use of self-disclosure grooming tactics. CCSO's self-disclosure messages elicited corresponding self-disclosure messages from their targeted youths. These results suggest that CCSOs use grooming tactics that help engender youths' trust to meet in the physical world, but FCSOs do not.

Low neuroticism and high hedonistic traits for female internet child pornography consumers.

Limited research has attempted to identify and understand the personality characteristics of female consumers of Internet child pornography (ICP). In the current study, female respondents (N = 162) from the Seigfried et al. study were analyzed to determine if personality characteristics differed between female users (n = 10, 6.2%) and female non-users (n = 152, 93.8%) of ICP. An exploratory backward stepwise (Wald) logistic regression revealed a predictive model, with female ICP consumers scoring: low on neuroticism, high on moral choice hedonism, and self-reporting a non-white racial identity. The relationship between female ICP consumption, neuroticism, hedonism, and race are discussed, along with the study's limitations and future research suggestions in the area of computer deviance.