Public shock frequently follows accusations against admired or beloved famous people accused of multiple sexual offenses because people expect repeat offenders to look like monstrous, sadistic predators. Many repeat offenders do not match that stereotype; they can be stepfathers, uncles, coworkers, teachers, artists, businessmen, and politicians. Some offenders are pathological sadists, but many are not. Appearance or familiarity cannot reliably indicate who will offend. Statistical correlations such as age, relationship status, gender, and past behavior inform risk categories but cannot predict individual actions. Victims cannot be blamed because full prediction of abuse is not possible.
It often makes a big splash in the news when famous people are accused and/or convicted of multiple sexual offenses, especially when they are beloved or admired. The public is often shocked when people such as R. Kelly, Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Josh Duggar, Sean "Diddy" Combs, and President Trump are accused by multiple people of sexual harm. Some of this shock is because of the image we have of a repeat sex offender: a monstrous, sick pervert who is without empathy, sadistically harming victim after victim.
In my recent book, Evil at Our Table: Inside the Minds of the Monsters Who Live Among Us, I take people along with me as I evaluate and treat people who commit sex offenses, especially repeat offenders under the Sexually Violent Predator Law. I show what people who commit sex offenses actually look like: while some are pathological sadists, many are stepfathers, uncles, and coworkers. They are teachers, artists, businessmen, and politicians.
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