Chemical Submission and Group Sexual Offenses. Comparative Study of Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assaults Committed Alone Versus in a Group

Abstract

Chemical submission associated with crimes of a sexual nature has experienced a surge in recent times. In addition to studying, it from a clinical and toxicological standpoint, this is a phenomenon that should also be addressed from a criminological and police investigation perspective. This paper, therefore, describes the main characteristics associated with these acts, along with the differences observed between the characteristics of perpetrators who act alone compared to those who act in collaboration with other people. The sample consisted of 121 cases analyzed correspond to solved sexual crimes featuring the use of substances as the means employed to commit the crime and that were investigated by the Civil Guard units between the years of 2008 and 2017. The results show differences in the profiles of the perpetrators depending on whether they acted alone or accompanied. Those aggressors who act in a group are younger, do not usually have a history of Gender-based Violence, and it is more common for them to have consumed alcohol or other drugs at the time of the events. On the other hand, the most explicit sexual behaviors being more common in the cases of perpetrators acting alone. This has important implications when it comes to conducting police investigations, as well as for the preventive aspects that can be rolled out once the contexts and people implicated in these types of events have been analyzed. From the behaviors observed, not only can distinguishing characteristics be inferred, but also motives that are not directly associated with sexual satisfaction on the part of the perpetrators.