Bestiality and zoophilia - Evolve For Animals

Bestiality and Zoophiliapatients. However, 6.3% of the sexually abused children had done this. Thestudy also showed that, overall, cruelty to animals was significantly relatedto cruelty to others and touching an animal’s sex parts. Furthermore,touching an animal’s sex parts was significantly related to cruelty to others.Differentiating by group, these correlations were found only amongthe sexually abused children. Ascione et al. (2003) concluded that “sexualizedforms of cruelty may be more specifically related to a history of sexualabuse” (Ascione et al. 2003, p. 206).In a study of 100 violent criminals and a normal, matched-controlgroup (n = 75), ten Bensel et al. (1984) compared animal-related experiences,including sexual interactions with animals. None of the violentoffenders reported sexual contact with animals and, according to theauthors, reactions to that question were very emotional and negative.Among the control group, 3.9% admitted to sexual contact with animals.Miller and Knutson (1997) assessed sexual interactions with animals intheir study of 314 prisoners. Twenty-two participants (7%) had watchedsexual contact between animals, 16 participants (5.1%) had touched ananimal sexually, and nine inmates (2.9%) had had sexual intercourse withan animal. Overall, approximately 11% of this criminal sample had seenor engaged in sexual contacts with animals.Several studies which include the subject of bestiality can be found inthe field of sex offending. As mentioned earlier, Ressler et al. (1986)reported that 23% of their sample of sex murderers indicated an interest insexual contact with animals. An important early study in this field,investigating the prevalence of bestiality among over 1000 white, male,convicted sex offenders, was conducted by Gebhard et al. (1965). For thepurpose of comparison, data were also obtained from a sample of 881 menwho had been convicted of felonies or misdemeanors, but never sex offenses(prison group), and a group of 471 white males who had not beenconvicted of anything more serious than traffic violations (control group).Gebhard et al. (1965) restricted their study to sexual contacts with animalsoccurring after the onset of puberty, and included penile penetration of theanimal. The lowest prevalence rate for animal contacts, 8.3%, was foundfor the control group and the group of heterosexual sex offenders whoabused adults. This rate is comparable to the findings of Kinsey, Pomeroyand Martin (1948) for the general population. Sex offenders who hadabused female minors (non-incestuously) reported the highest prevalencerate, 33.3%. Among the other sub-groups of sex offenders (homosexual vs.heterosexual; child, juvenile or adult victims; incestuous, non-incestuous),12.5% to 24% had engaged in bestiality.Bestiality and zoophilia: Associations with sex and violence offending 53