1st Edition

Sexual Offending by Strangers

By Paul V. Greenall Copyright 2025
    226 Pages 12 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    226 Pages 12 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Exploring a specific type of sexual violence committed by a specific type of sexual offender, namely adult male on adult female stranger sexual violence, this book provides readers with an enhanced understanding of both the offences being committed and the offenders who commit them.

    Although acts of serious stranger sexual violence are rare, they are important as they occur in the context of there being no pre-existing relationship between the offender and victim, meaning they present significant challenges to criminal justice practitioners who are required to investigate, assess and understand such offending. Arguing for the importance of adopting an ideographic perspective, this book encourages readers to draw upon a variety of different theories and models as appropriate, such as considering the impact of a behavioural conditioning process, where sexual violence is a manifestation of prior learning or early life experiences. Divided into four sections, this comprehensive volume guides the reader through key concepts, different types of stranger sexual violence, and applications to criminal justice practice.

    Sexual Offending by Strangers will be of use to police officers, prison officers, and practitioners working with offenders in either secure or community settings. It will also be of value to students and scholars researching the topic of sexual violence.

    1           Introduction                                                                                                                             

     Part 1: Key Concepts

    2           Stranger Violence                                                                                                                  

    3           A Geographical Perspective                                                                                                

    4           The classification of Sexual Violence                                                                               

    5           The Psychology of the Offender                                                                                        

    6           The Sexually Deviant Offender                                                                                          

     Part 2: Stranger Sexual Violence

    7           Acquisitive Stranger Sexual violence: Sexual Burglaries and other thefts                   

    8           Non-contact Stranger Sexual Violence: Exhibitionism and Voyeurism                                       

    9           Contact Stranger Sexual Violence: Rape and other Sexual Assaults                             

    10         Stranger Sexual Femicide: The Sexual Killing of Women by Male Strangers                           

     Part 3: Application to Criminal Justice Practice

    11       Forensic case formulation: The key to understanding and intervening                       

    12       Index offence analysis: A guide for criminal justice practitioners                               

     Part 4: Conclusion

    13       Bringing it all together                                                                                                          

    Biography

    Paul V. Greenall, PhD, has spent most of his working life in secure hospitals. He started at Ashworth Hospital, near Liverpool, as an administrator before becoming a research psychologist there. He then worked in Forensic/Clinical practice within the secure units of Prestwich Hospital in Manchester. Dr Greenall is presently a principal forensic psychologist (HCPC registered) working within the mental health in-reach teams of several male prisons in the northwest of England. In all these roles, Dr Greenall has interviewed, researched, assessed, and worked clinically with a range of mentally disordered offenders, and from this he developed a particular interest in the assessment and formulation of sexual violence. Dr Greenall has also held academic posts at universities in Liverpool and Manchester and has lectured on Forensic Psychology to undergraduates and postgraduates. He is presently a senior lecturer in Forensic Psychology at Edge Hill University, a fellow of the High Education Academy, and a visiting fellow at the University of Huddersfield.