Incest Offences and Alcoholism

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify whether alcoholic incest offenders differ from other criminals who commit these offences. The series consisted of 45 cases of incest, of which 22 cases (48.9 per cent) gave an indication of alcoholism in the offender. The alcoholics showed more evidence of previous criminal offences, and this was especially true when considering acts of violence only. The alcoholics had also exhibited more often than the others aggressive features at home before the detection of incest. Statistically, significant differences were not arrived at as to depression, psychotic disturbances, intellectual defects, problems of jealousy, psychiatric hospitalization, and earlier sexual behaviour. The spouse had a rejective sexual attitude towards the offender in alcoholic cases more frequently than in other cases. The cause of this appeared to be mainly disgust at the abuse of alcoholic drinks and its consequences, as well as the result of a large family and/or poor living conditions. In more than half of the cases of incest in both groups actual intercourse had taken place. Generally, the relationship had, however, started by only touching sexual organs and so forth. According to the offender the victim had shown activity in one-third of the cases of alcoholics. The alcoholic offender tended to be under the influence of alcohol at least at the beginning of the relationship more often than the non-alcoholic person. Offences or an offence were reported by the victim or the offender's spouse in the cases of alcoholics more often than in the other cases; then the informer was usually an outsider. However, the victim's and the spouse's fear of the offender was one reason for concealment when the alcoholics were involved.