Crimes Against Children by Babysitters David Finkelhor and Richard Ormrod The Office of - PDF document

Children by BabysittersDavid Finkelhor and Richard OrmrodThe Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is committed toimproving the justice systemÕs response to crimes against children. OJJDP recognizesthatchildren are at increased risk for crime victimization. Not only are children the vic-onyoung victims can be devastating, and the violent or sexual victimization of childrencan often lead to an intergenerational cycle of violence and abuse. The purpose ofOJJDPÕs Crimes Against Children Series is to improve and expand the NationÕs effortstobetter serve child victims by presenting the latest information about child victimization,In recent years, parents and policymakershave become increasingly concerned withensuring the safety of children when theyare in the custody of childcare workers.debates about how childcare providersshould be hired and screened and whetherroutine criminal background checks shouldbe used to uncover potential offenders.These safety concerns have even prompt-ed the use of surveillance devices to mon-itor workers who care for children (Wen,Unfortunately, information that might clar-victimization do not routinely present thelows identification of specific groups ofoffenders, such as teachers or daycareoperators. Instead, perpetrators aregrouped more generally, either as undif-ferentiated childcare providers or simplyParents are particularly concerned aboutbabysitters, whose recruitment andscreening are often informal. Nonfamilialsocial phenomenon in the post-World WarII childrearing environment (Kourany,Gwinn, and Martin, 1980). As mothers en-tered the workforce and fewer familieslived with other relatives, more and moreparents relied on babysitters to care fortheir children. Concerns about babysit-ters may have increased in recent years,Louise Woodward, the Boston-area au-pairEappen, who was in her full-time care (Do-herty, 1997; Kahn, 1997). A Message From OJJDPtionÕs 18.5 million children less than 5years old are cared for regularly by anonrelated inhome childcare or familydaycare provider, manyÑperhapsmostÑhave been cared for by a baby-Highly publicized criminal cases suchas the conviction of au-pair LouiseWoodward in the tragic death of 8-month-old Matthew Eappen haveraised public concern about childrenÕssafety and the manner in which child-care providers are screened andmonitored.Such regard for the wel-fare of children is both understand-able and laudable, but what are thefacts about the risks involved inUntil recently, little was known aboutthe prevalence of criminal offensesamong babysitters.This Bulletin, partof OJJDPÕs Crimes Against ChildrenSeries, draws on the FBIÕs NationalIncident-Based Reporting System toprovide data on the frequency andnature of crimes against childrencommitted by babysitters.The fact that babysitters account forapproximately 4 percent of crimes6 years oldÑa rate below that of com-plete strangersÑhelps put the matterin perspective.Of course, the victimization of anychild is unacceptable, and it is hopedthat the information that this Bulletinoffers will enhance efforts to combatsuch crimes. U.S. Department of JusticeOffice of Justice ProgramsOffice of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention September 2001 2 Despite such publicity, the literature onthe offenses of babysitters is scant (Margo-lin, 1990; Margolin and Craft, 1990; Martinand Kourany, 1980). However, this lack ofsitters are one of the new categories of of-reau of InvestigationÕs (FBIÕs) growing Na-tional Incident-Based Reporting Systempolicy interest, makes babysitter offensesworthy of analysis.juveniles (ages 0 to 17) reveals the follow-Babysitters are responsible for a rela-tively small portion of the reportedcriminal offenses against children: 4.2 percent of all offenses for childrenunder age 6Ñless than the percentageAmong the reported offenses that baby-Children most at risk of physicalassaults by babysitters are youngeroffending babysitters reported to thepolice (77 percent); females make up(64percent).Juvenile offenders are responsible forknown to police (48 percent) but only15 percent of the physical assaults.Babysitter offenses rarely result inknown to police are more likely thanother child crime victims to suffer aninjury (75 percent versus 53 percent NIBRS, which compiled the data that are thebasis of this analysis, was created toeven-Reports (UCR) program as the nationalstatistical database of crimes reported tomore detailed information about crimeoffenses committed, victim characteristics(including age), offender characteristics,and incident circumstances.While NIBRSis not yet national in scope and only en-compasses jurisdictions in 17 States (seesidebar on p. 3 for further discussion ofNIBRS), the combined reports for 1995,general absence of data on this group ofoffenders, this large number of cases mer-are not nationally representative and thefindings drawn from them are preliminary.guity. Children are cared for by a varietyfamily, friends, family daycare operators,professional daycare centers, and schools;some of these providers may be paidwhile others are not. The term ÒbabysitterÓproviders, with the exception of schoolsand, possibly, daycare centers. Fortunate-ly, the NIBRS system uses the more com-usage typical of many State child protec-tive agencies (Margolin, 1990; U.S. Depart-ment of Health and Human Services, 2001).persons who temporarily care for childrenfor pay, usually in the childÕs or babysit-terÕs home. This usage excludes preschooland commercial daycare center staff mem-licenced home-based daycare providers.NIBRS protocols, like those of many Statechild protective services, also exclude fam-ily offenders from the babysitter category.ily members are identified in NIBRS bytheir family relationship to the victim, andcategorizes offenders in a single relation-ship category. As a result, babysittersidentified by NIBRS reporting agencies arenot members of the victimÕs family. Thus,the majority of babysitter offenders identi-fied in NIBRS are paid nonfamily juvenilesor adults caring for children in a homesetting. However, NIBRS relies on local lawenforcement agencies to collect data, andspecification practices may vary some-what from agency to agency.An accurate number of children in the Unit-ed States cared for by babysitters (as de-fined in NIBRS) is difficult to estimate. TheNational Child Care Survey (NCCS) estima-ted that, in 1990, 14 percent of the 18.5 mil-lion children under age 5 had a nonrelativeinhome provider or family daycare as theirprimary childcare arrangement (Hofferthetal., 1991). However, NCCS and otherchildcare surveys tally only childrenÕsÒprimary arrangements.Ó Large numbersofchildren whose primary arrangementsinvolve care by their own mother, anotherrelative, or a daycare center are also occa-sionally cared for by babysitters. There-fore, it seems likely that a majority of allyoung children are exposed to paid baby-ReportingBabysitters were only a small portion ofthe offenders in NIBRS jurisdictions whocommitted violent crimes against children.They accounted for 0.5 percent of offend-niles (youth under age 18) and 4.2 percentyoung children (those under age 6) (figure1).1In contrast, family members (includ-ingnonparental offenders) accounted for21.4 percent of offenders who committedagainst young children. (Parental familyoffenders alone are 12 percent and 36 per-cent, respectively.) Complete strangersaccounted for 11.0 percent of offendersagainst juveniles and 5.6 percent of offend-ers against young children. In assessingthese figures, it would be useful to com-pare babysitters with other categories ofprofessional childcare providers, such asparisons are not possible because thesecategories are not separately identifiedinNIBRS.Children under age 6, the group most like-ly to be cared for by babysitters, are also(figure 2). Children in this age group madeup 60 percent of the victims of babysitteryouth 12 and older were sometimes victim-ized. (The victims in the older age group Counts of offenders by relationship to victim arebased only on victimizations where perpetrators canÒunknownÓ category. Furthermore, comparisons ofbabysitter-perpetrated offenses with those committedby nonbabysitters are limited to only incidents involv-assault, kidnapping, and nonforcible sex offenses)because these are the only crimes linked in NIBRSdata to babysitter offenders. 3 still require some professional childcare.)victims of babysitter offenses known topolice were more likely to be white (92percent) than juvenile crime victims ingeneral (75percent). This racial disparitymay exist because nonwhite children areless likely to be cared for by paid nonfami-greater availability of care by relatives(Casper, 1997).Among babysitter offenses that werereported to the police, sex offenses out-numbered physical assaults 65 percent to34 percent (figure 3). Most of the sex of-more serious crimes of rape or sodomy(41 percent, 9 percent, and 11 percent ofall babysitter offenses, respectively). Sim-ple assaults made up 25 percent of all re-ported babysitter offenses, whereas aggra-vated assaults accounted for 9 percent. Avery small fraction of the offenses entaileda kidnapping (0.5 percent) or homicide(0.6percent).reports varies, depending on the type ofoffense. Children ages 1 to 3 faced the The National Incident-Based Reporting System Figure 1:Percentage of Offenders Who Committed Violent CrimesAgainst Juveniles,by Relationship to the Victim 21.4%11.0%0.5% FamilyStranger Babysitter 36.7%5.6% 4.2% =299,839 offenders)=22,393 offenders)All Juvenile VictimsVictims Under 6 Years of Age Note:The data also include nonforcible sex offenses.Data are provided only for incidentswith identified offender(s).Juveniles are persons under 18 years of age.Source:Federal Bureau of Investigation (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998), Reporting System (NIBRS)computer file (17 States only), Washington, DC:U.S.Departmentof Justice.Tabulations undertaken by Crimes against Children Research Center.The U.S.Department of Justice is re-placing its long-established UniformCrime Reports (UCR) program with amore comprehensive National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS).While UCR monitors a limited numberof index crimes and, with the exceptionof homicides, gathers few details oneach crime event, NIBRS collects awide range of information on victims,offenders, and circumstances for agreater variety of offenses.Offensestracked in NIBRS include violent crimes(e.g., homicide, assault, rape, robbery),property crimes (e.g., theft, arson, van-dalism, fraud, embezzlement), andcrimes against society (e.g., drug of-fenses, gambling, prostitution).More-over, NIBRS collects information onmultiple victims, multiple offenders, andmultiple crimes that may be part of thesame episode.Under the new system, as with the old,local law enforcement personnel com-pile information on crimes coming totheir attention, and this information is aggregated in turn at the State and na-tional levels.For a crime to be counted inthe system, it simply needs to be reportedand investigated.The incident does notneed to be cleared or an arrest made,although unfounded reports are deletedNIBRS holds great promise, but it is stillfar from a national system.Its implemen-tation by the FBI began in 1988, and par-ticipation by States and local agencies isvoluntary and incremental.By 1995, juris-dictions in 9 States had agencies contrib-uting data;by 1997, the number was 12;and by the end of 1999, jurisdictions in 17States submitted reports, providing cover-age for 11 percent of the NationÕs popula-tion and 9 percent of its crime.Only threeStates (Idaho, Iowa, and South Carolina)have participation from all local jurisdic-tions, and only one city with a populationgreater than 500,000 (Austin, TX) is re-porting.The crime experiences of largeurban areas are particularly underrepre-sented.The system, therefore, is not yetnationally representative, nor do its data statistics.Nevertheless, the system isassembling large amounts of crime in-formation and providing a richness ofdetail about juvenile victimizations pre-viously unavailable.The patterns andassociations these data reveal are realand represent the experiences of alarge number of youth.For 1998, the17participating Statesreported a totalof 1,344,361 crimes against individ-uals,with 143,523 occurring against ju-veniles.Nevertheless, patterns maychange as more jurisdictions join theMore information about NIBRS datacollection can be found at these Websites:(1) www.fbi.gov/ucr/nibrs.htm,(2)www.search.org/nibrs/default.asp,(3) www.jrsa.org/ibrrc/. Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky,Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota,Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah,Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. 4 greatest risk of physical assault, whereaschildren ages 3 to 5 were most vulnerableto sex offenses (figure 2). Victim genderalso varied by type of offense. More boysthan girls were victims of physical assaultby babysitters (54 percent versus 46 per-cent), whereas girls made up 65 percent ofthe sex offense victims (figure 4).Offender CharacteristicsOverall, among babysitters, male offend-ers outnumbered female offenders (63 to37 percent) in police reports.However,this percentage masks the true dispropor-tion in the risk of male offending, in thatmost children are exposed to more femaleintheir care. No reliable information isofbabysitters, but one teen survey foundthat females were twice as likely as malesrany, Martin, and LaBarbera, 1980).siderably higher (U.S. Bureau of the Cen-sus, 2001). Therefore, the true risk of amale babysitter offending is likely muchgreater than the two-to-one ratio of maleto female offenders found in the data.Males were disproportionately involved in sex offenses (77 percent of offenderscent of offenders). Of babysitters whocommitted sex offenses, males were morelikely than females to target female vic-tims and victims ages 6 and older (figure5). They were also more likely to be adults(58 percent), whereas female sex offend-ers were predominantly juveniles (67 per-In addition to gender of the offenders, oneof the most dramatic differences betweensex offenses and physical assaults report-ed in NIBRS jurisdictions was the offender Percentage of All VictimsPhysical assaults=490 victims)(Sex offenses 0510 1716151413121110987654321 Figure 2:Age of Victims of Physical Assaults and Sex OffensesCommitted by BabysittersNote:Percentages calculated separately for physical assaults and sex offenses.Source:Federal Bureau of Investigation (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998), Reporting System (NIBRS)computer file (17 States only), Washington, DC:U.S.Department of Justice.Tabulations undertaken by Crimes against Children Research Center. Percentage of All Offenses=1,435 offenses)51015202530354045 Forcible FondlingForcible SodomyForcible RapeSexual Assault Nonforcible OffensesAggravated AssaultSex offenses Physical assaults Other crimes Figure 3:Types of Crime Committed Against Juveniles by BabysittersSource:Federal Bureau of Investigation (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998), Reporting System (NIBRS)computer file (17 States only), Washington, DC:U.S.Department of Justice.Tabulations undertaken by Crimes against Children Research Center. Some babysitter victimizations are perpetrated bymultiple sitters, or by one sitter and other offender(s),yielding mixed offender patterns and offender-victimassociations. In cases with multiple offenders, non-babysitter offenders are identified by their relation-ship to the victim, not to the babysitter. To avoidambiguity, only incidents containing a single babysit-ter acting alone are used when specifying offendercharacteristics and describing offender-victim links.cent of all babysitter victimizations reported in 1995, 5 age profile (figure 6). Nearly half (48 per-cent) of the babysitter sex offenders wereonly 15 percent of the physically assault-ive babysitters were under age 18. Thisage patternÑteens overrepresented in thecommission of sex offenses and adults inthe commission of physical offensesÑheld true for both male and female offend-tern may be that adult babysitters aremore likely to be given responsibility foryoung children for longer periods (e.g., aexposure creates the kind of stress andcontrol-related conflicts that tend to trig-ger physical assaults on young children.Sex offenses, by contrast, are often crimesof opportunity that occur during the moreoccasional exposures that children haveInjuryDeath was a relatively uncommon outcomejurisdictions (0.6 percent). However, baby-sitter victims were more likely to sustaincal assault, 67 percent of those assaultedby babysitters incurred a major or minorinjury, compared with 52 percent of vic-tims of other offenders (figure 7). For as-sault victims under age 6, the injury dis-crepancy was even larger (75 percent ofbabysitter victims injured versus 53 per-cent of victims of other offenders). Sexualassault injury rates are fairly low and simi-Police data reveal that babysitters do in-dren in their care. While NIBRS data can-statistics, the numbers extrapolated fromNIBRS jurisdictions (which representabout 6 percent of the NationÕs crimes for1997 and 1998) suggest that roughly 7,000to 8,000 babysitter offensesÑthe majorityof which are sex crimesÑare reported topolice over the course of a year. This esti-mate is certainly large enough to justifythat precautions be taken by parents inscreening and hiring care providers.However, the threat posed by babysitters,especially when compared with otherchildhood threats, should not be overem-phasized. Babysitters were responsible for Figure 4:Gender of Juvenile Victims of Babysitters,by Type ofOffense Female victims 54% Physical Assaults=490 victims)(Sex Offenses Source:Federal Bureau of Investigation (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998), Reporting System (NIBRS)computer file (17 States only), Washington, DC:U.S.Departmentof Justice.Tabulations undertaken by Crimes against Children Research Center. Figure 5:Gender and Age of Juvenile Victims of Sex OffensesCommitted by Babysitters,by Offender GenderSource:Federal Bureau of Investigation (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998), Reporting System (NIBRS)computer file (17 States only), Washington, DC:U.S.Departmentof Justice.Tabulations undertaken by Crimes against Children Research Center. 29% 54% FemaleFemale 6Ð17 years Under 6 years Victim Age 6 only 4.2 percent of the reported crimesagainst children under 6 yearsÑfewer thanGiven the large number of children ex-posed to babysitters, this is a relativelysmall percentage. The data reinforce otherstudies that suggest primary efforts shouldseek to shield young children from crimeschildcare providers (Finkelhor and Orm-rod, 2001). It is important to keep in mind,however, that the numbers in NIBRS repre-the ones reported to the police; therefore,they do not fully reflect the scope of baby-toward children are usually consideredvery serious and reported to police, manyeven those resulting in injury, are unlikelyto be reported. In addition, episodes ofarerarely reported to police. Data fromchild protection agencies might documentmore instances of physical abuse, neglect,and emotional abuse, but parents are prob-ably more inclined to simply terminateababysitterÕs services than bother withofficial police or child protection reports.Inaddition, babysitter crimes may bedisproportionately obscured becauseyounger victims are often unable to com-municate this abuse to their parents.In short, crime reports on babysitters areonly a crude guide to the perils childrenoffenses by babysitters outnumber physi-cal assaults may only reflect the kind ofcrime considered serious enough to be re-ported to police. In reality, physical as-saults may be more common than sex of-fenses but less reported. Similarly, to theextent that physical assaults are underre-ported compared with sex offenses, theoffenses of female babysitters may be un-derreported compared with those of males.ed by reporting biases. Children under 6 are likely the main targets of babysitteroffenses because they spend the mosttime with babysitters. Teenagers likelycommit more of the sex offenses againstchildren because the sexual pressuresandconflicts of their adolescence maychildren in their care. Male babysittersprobably outnumber female babysittersamong offenders because males outnum-ber females in virtually all categories ofcrime, including family offenses andoffenses against children.highlight the diversity of offenders andfenses.Sexual assaults do occur againstsome very young children, and someolder children also are being criminallyThese data are neither comprehensive nordetailed enough to offer strong guidanceabout preventive efforts. However, theconfirm the potential value of providingpreschool children with age-appropriateawareness about inappropriate touching(Wurtele et al., 1989). The frequent ap-ents may need to carefully screen andThe preponderance of male offenders,given the relatively small number of malesin the childcare workforce, certainly con-tributes to the already evident dilemma ofthose who would increase childrenÕs expo-sure to nurturant males. Unfortunately,policy complexities that require betterdata than NIBRS can currently provideabout the particular features of offenders,victims, their families, and the process bywhich potential babysitters are screeneddata may prompt more questions ratherthan provide firm answers. However, tothe extent that its data remind the publicthat confront children, including threatsfrom babysitters and other care providers,NIBRS may eventually improve the entireeffort of crime prevention and detectionReferencesCasper, L.M. 1997. WhoÕs minding our pre-Current Pop-ulation Reports(P70Ð62). Washington, DC:U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau ofDoherty, W.F. 1997. Manslaughter and shetrieved August 8, 2000, from the Web:www.bostonglobe.com.Federal Bureau of Investigation. 1995Ð98.National Incident-Based Reporting System Figure 6:Age of Babysitters Who Committed Physical Assaults and Sex Offenses Against JuvenilesNote:Percentages calculated separately for physical assaults and sex offenses.Source:Federal Bureau of Investigation (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998), Reporting System (NIBRS)computer file (17 States only), Washington, DC:U.S.DepartmentofJustice.Tabulations undertaken by Crimes against Children Research Center. 010 Offender Age Physical assaults=425 offenders)(=843 offenders) Sex offenses35Ð4445Ð5455Ð6465 andPercentage of Offenders 7 data for each year. Washington, DC: U.S.Department of Justice, Federal Bureau ofFinkelhor, D., and Ormrod, R.K. 2001.Child Abuse Reported to the Police.letin. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Of-Prevention.Hofferth, S.L., Brayfield, A., Deich, S., andHolcomb, P. 1991. Survey, 1990.Washington, DC: The UrbanInstitute Press.Kahn, R. 1997. Prosecutors detail caseagainst au pair. (March 8).Retrieved August 8, 2000, from the Web:www.bostonglobe.com.Kourany, R.F.C., Gwinn, M., and Martin, 30-year-old phenomenon. Kourany, R.F.C., Martin, J.E., and LaBar-Margolin, L. 1990. Child abuse by baby-pretation. Journal of Family ViolenceMargolin, L., and Craft, J.L. 1990. Childabuse by adolescent caregivers. Martin, J.E., and Kourany, R.F.C. 1980.U.S. Bureau of the Census. 2001. Tables June 21, 2001, from the Web: www.U.S. Department of Health and HumanServices, Administration on Children,Youth and Families. 2001. Washington, DC: U.S. Govern-ment Printing Office.Wen, P. 2000. Wary parents using cameras,criminal checks on caregivers. from the Web: www.bostonglobe.com.Wurtele, S.K., Kast, L.C., Miller-Perrin, C.L.,and Kondrick, P.A. 1989. Comparison ofprograms for teaching personal safetyskills to preschoolers. Journal of Consult- 33%9% 25%12% 48%5% Major injury=447 victims)(Minor injuryNo injury BabysittersOther OffendersAll JuvenileUnder 6 Years Figure 7:Injuries Sustained by Juvenile Victims of Physical AssaultsCommitted by Babysitters and Other OffendersSource:Federal Bureau of Investigation (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998), Reporting System (NIBRS)computer file (17 States only), Washington, DC:U.S.Departmentof Justice.Tabulations undertaken by Crimes against Children Research Center. This Bulletin was prepared by DavidFinkelhor, Ph.D., Professor of Soci-ology and Director, Crimes againstChildren Research Center, Universityof New Hampshire, david.finkelhor@unh.edu;and Richard Ormrod, Ph.D.,Research Professor, Crimes againstChildren Research Center, Univer-sityof New Hampshire, rormrod This Bulletin was prepared under grant number98ÐJNÐFXÐ0012 from the Office of Juvenile Jus-tice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Depart-Points of view or opinions expressed in thisdocument are those of the authors and do notnecessarily represent the official position orpolicies of OJJDP or the U.S. Department of The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delin-Justice, and the Office for Victims of Crime. PRESORTED STANDARDPOSTAGE & FEES PAIDPERMIT NO.GÐ91 U.S. Department of JusticeOffice of Justice ProgramsOffice of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Washington,DC 20531Official BusinessPenalty for Private Use $300