Incest- Criminal Justice

Incest is not a problem because it creates jealousy between family members, results in sickly and improperly developed children; it is a problem because it is a terrible and traumatizing crime. 1. Incest according to the Webster dictionary has two meanings. A. Incest can be defined as sexual relations between people classed as being too closely related to marry each other. B. Or the crime of having sexual intercourse with a parent, child, sibling, or grandchild. 2. Incest has been divided into four categories. A. Cross generational incest: The perpetrator is considerably older than the victim. The perpetrator may be a parent, step-parent, aunt/uncle, or grandparent. B. Peer incest: The victim and the perpetrator are close in age. The perpetrator is most often a sibling but may also be a cousin. C. Opposite Sex incest: In this case the perpetrator will choose a victim of the opposite sex. The most common type of opposite sex incest is between a father and daughter or step-father and step-daughter. D. Same sex incest: In this case the perpetrator will chose a victim of the same sex. This does not necessarily mean that the perpetrator is him/herself homosexual. 3. Incest is a traumatic experience that can have immediate, short-term, and long-term effects. A. The most severe cases can result in personality disorders. i. Histrionic personality disorder: a pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking including need for approval and inappropriate seductiveness. ii. Borderline personality disorder: is characterized by splitting (alternating between idealizing and demonizing others) and mood disturbances. Individuals with this disorder are incredibly sensitive to how others treat them and they will engage in self-harm. iii. Avoidant personality disorder: a pervasive pattern of social inhibition including feelings of inadequacy and avoidance of social interaction. These individuals fear being disliked,