Authors:
- Leah Butler, School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati - Academia.edu, GoogleScholar, ORCID

- Brittany E. Hayes, School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati - GoogleScholar, ORCID, ResearchGate

- Jane Mahon, School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati - ORCID, ResearchGate

- Carlijn van Baak, Nederlands Studiecentrum voor Criminaliteit en Rechtshandhaving (Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement) - GoogleScholar, ORCID ResearchGate

Abstract:
»Objectives
Child sexual abuse (CSA) by professional perpetrators in organizations, such as the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), remains a critical issue. Following the BSA’s bankruptcy due to thousands of CSA survivor claims, the perspectives of these alleged perpetrators have rarely been analyzed. This study examines how alleged BSA perpetrators – in their own words – rationalize their offenses using techniques of neutralization.
Methods
Publicly available files from the BSA CSA cases were analyzed to identify whether and how techniques of neutralization are evident in the statements from alleged BSA perpetrators (N = 174). This study provides insight into how professional perpetrators of CSA express themselves in relation to their offense in a volunteer-based organization.
Results
We found that approximately 20% of alleged perpetrators, of which their statements were available, engaged in one or more techniques of neutralization. Among these, denial of responsibility was the most common, which is consistent with research on offenders rationalizing their behaviors.
Conclusions
Our results highlight the prevalence of denial of responsibility among alleged BSA perpetrators and shed light on how professional perpetrators in volunteer-based organizations rationalize, excuse, or justify their actions. This study provides further evidence for the ways in which professional perpetrators of CSA may neutralize their behavior.« (Source: Deviant Behavior)

Wikipedia: History of the Americas: History of the United States | Youth organizations: Scouting America / Boy Scouts of America sex abuse cases | Sex and the law: Child sexual abuse / Child sexual abuse in the United States