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The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010

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The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010 The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010 A Report Presented to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops by the John Jay College Research Team Karen J. Terry, Principal Investigator Margaret Leland Smith, Data Analyst Katarina Schuth O.S.F., Consultant James R. Kelly, Consultant Brenda Vollman, Research Associate Christina Massey, Research Associate In June 2002 the full body of Catholic bishops of the United States in their General Meeting in Dallas approved the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The Charter created a National Review Board, which was assigned responsibility to oversee the completion of the study of the causes and context of the recent crisis. The National Review Board engaged the John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York to conduct research, summarize the collected data, and issue a summary report to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops of its !ndings. This report by the John Jay College is authorized for publication by the undersigned. Msgr. David J. Malloy, STD General Secretary, USCCB First printing, May 2011 ISBN 978-1-60137-201-7 Copyright © 2011, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright holder. Table of Contents Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................................ 1 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................ 2 Methodology ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Findings ................................................................................................................................................ 2 Historical and Sociocultural Context ..................................................................................................... 2 Seminary Education .............................................................................................................................. 3 Individual, Psychological Factors ........................................................................................................... 3 Organizational Factors ........................................................................................................................... 4 Onset, Persistence, and Desistance from Abuse ..................................................................................... 4 Situational Factors and Prevention Policies ............................................................................................ 5 Summary................................................................................................................................................. 5 Chapter 1: Context for the Study of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010 ........................................................... 6 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 6 The Nature and Scope Study ......................................................................................................... 7 Summary Findings ................................................................................................................................ 8 Distribution of Incidents by Year, Region, and Size of Diocese ............................................................. 8 Abusers and Victims ........................................................................................................................ 9 Type and Location of Offenses ........................................................................................................ 10 Diocesan Action in Response to Reports of Abuse ............................................................................ 10 Context for the Crisis .................................................................................................................. 11 Understanding Sexual Abuse in Society ............................................................................................... 11 Historical Overview of the Problem of Sexual Abuse in the United States .......................................... 11 Estimates of the Prevalence of Abuse ............................................................................................. 11 Early Psychological Studies of Child Sexual Abusers ........................................................................ 13 Understanding “Normal” Sexual Behavior and Identity .................................................................... 14 Sex Offender Typologies and Multimodal Explanations of Behavior .................................................... 15 The Role of Opportunity in Sexual Abuse ...................................................................................... 16 Understanding Sexual Abuse in Youth-Serving Organizations .............................................................. 16 Schools ......................................................................................................................................... 17 Child Care Settings ....................................................................................................................... 17 Boy Scouts of America ................................................................................................................... 17 Big Brothers Big Sisters .................................................................................................................. 18 Athletic Organizations ................................................................................................................... 19 Professional and Legal Remedies ..................................................................................................... 19 Understanding Sexual Abuse in Religious Institutions ......................................................................... 20 Protestant Denominations .............................................................................................................. 20 Southern Baptist ............................................................................................................................ 20 Episcopal ...................................................................................................................................... 20 Jehovah’s Witnesses ....................................................................................................................... 20 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—Mormons .............................................................. 21 Jewish Community ........................................................................................................................ 21 Understanding Sexual Abuse within Families ....................................................................................... 22 Causes of the Crisis: Why Was There a Sexual Abuse Crisis in the Catholic Church? ............................................................................................................ 24 Research with Empirical Methods ........................................................................................................ 24 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................... 25 Chapter 2: Historical Analysis of Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church: Explaining the Distribution of Abuse over Time ..................................... 26 Incidence and Reports of Abuse, 1950-2010 ............................................................................ 27 Patterns of Incidence of Abuse, 1950-2002 ......................................................................................... 27 National Patterns .......................................................................................................................... 27 Patterns of Reporting Abuse, 1950-2002 ............................................................................................ 27 Estimating the Distribution of Unreported Cases of Abuse ................................................................ 32 Reports of Sexual Abuse, 2004-2009 ............................................................................................... 32 Understanding Change over Time ................................................................................................... 32 Research Questions: Incidence of Abuse ............................................................................... 34 Reasons for Variation in Sexual Abuse ................................................................................................ 34 The Commitment to Celibacy .............................................................................................................. 34 Questions of Sexuality and Sexual Identity .......................................................................................... 36 Social Influences on Sexuality: Period Effects .................................................................
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